10 more people have contracted West Nile virus in Miami-Dade, health officials say
Ten more cases of West Nile virus have been detected in Miami-Dade County, health officials announced late Thursday.
The Florida Department of Health said 10 Miami-Dade residents have contracted the virus, a mosquito-borne infection, from local transmission.
Miami-Dade’s first two cases of West Nile virus were detected in May, both in county residents and through local transmission. On June 11, health officials reported two more cases of the virus.
So far this year, there have been 14 Miami-Dade residents who have contracted West Nile virus.
The health department placed the county under a mosquito-borne-illness alert. Health officials are reminding residents to “Drain and Cover,” a public service campaign telling people to remove items on their property that can accumulate water, which develop into mosquito breeding grounds.
The campaign urges people to drain standing water in garbage cans, gutters, buckets, pools, coolers, birdbaths and pet water bowls. In addition, throw away old tires, drums, bottles, cans and other broken appliances.
The health department said West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the United States. There are no vaccines to prevent it or medications to treat it.
Fewer than 1 percent of people develop a serious or fatal illness. People with mild symptoms usually recover within a week with treatment. People over 60 and those with weakened immune systems are at an increased risk for severe disease, health officials said.
Those infected by the virus usually don’t feel sick. Roughly 1 in 5 of those infected develop a fever or other symptoms, such as headaches, pain and fatigue. Symptoms typically appear between two and 14 days after the infected mosquito bites.
To further prevent contracting the virus, health officials say to cover skin with clothing and apply repellent. Officials advise using repellents with DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol or IR3535.
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 9:12 PM.
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