West Nile has killed an elderly South Dakotan. State Health Department leaders say the person lived in Yankton County and was in the age range of 80 to 89. That case is one of dozens reported this summer, and officials looking to Labor Day expect even more infections.
South Dakota ended 2015 with 40 cases of West Nile Virus. State epidemiologist Lon Kightlinger says 2016 so far almost doubles last year’s total.
"We’re having a fairly heavy year this year with West Nile," Kightlinger says. "We’ve had 74 cases reported, and the number’s growing every day."
Kightlinger says he anticipates more than 100 confirmed West Nile infections before the season ends. The epidemiologist says the risk of contracting West Nile declines as overnight temperatures drop. It ends when a hard freeze kills the mosquitoes that spread the virus. Until then, West Nile poses a threat.
"A mosquito bites you. A couple days later, you start with a fever. You can get a rash. You can get aches all over. You start really feeling tired and sick," Kightlinger says. "Some people, a few people, get encephalitis or meningitis from it, and a few people actually die from it."
Kightlinger says West Nile Virus symptoms depend on the person infected.
"Any age group can get West Nile, but the people that are most severely hit by it – the people who get the sickest, the people who end up in the hospital, and the people who die from it – typically are older people or people that have some underlying condition that makes their immune system weaker," Kightlinger says.
Kightlinger says people should use repellent and protect their skin from mosquito bites by wearing long sleeves and pants instead of shorts. He also recommends people fix holes in window screens to keep mosquitoes outside.
Access the latest on West Nile Virus at the South Dakota Department of Health's website.