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- NEW YORK (Reuters)
- Health officials on Friday confirmed the year's first human case of the
deadly mosquito-borne West Nile virus, which killed seven people in the
New York area last summer.
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- A 78-year-old Staten Island man who tested positive for
the virus on July 27 but was subsequently cleared by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, has upon further testing been determined to be
positive for the virus.
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- The man became ill with symptoms including fever and
dizziness on July 20, was admitted to a local hospital two days later and
released after a week, health officials said. He is now at home recovering.
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- Officials began a spraying program aimed at eradicating
mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus late last month, which will continue
on Friday in sections of upper Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens.
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- ``Symptoms ... begin five to 15 days after being bitten
by an infected mosquito, indicating that this individual was infected before
the city implemented its recent control efforts on Staten Island,'' said
Health Commissioner Dr. Neil Cohen.
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- ``The city will continue to take action where necessary
to reduce the mosquito population and minimize the potential for additional
human illnesses based on positive surveillance findings in birds, mosquitoes
and humans,'' Cohen said.
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- Officials warned residents to take precautions against
mosquitoes due to the human case as well as an increasing number of dead
birds confirmed to be infected with West Nile virus.
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- The virus, which killed seven people in the New York
metropolitan area last summer, is spread to humans by the bite of an infected
mosquito, and can cause encephalitis or meningitis. It is not transmitted
from human to human, or from birds to humans.
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- Most infected people do not experience symptoms, but
in the elderly or other vulnerable individuals such as those with weak
immune symptoms West Nile can be a serious disease and is potentially fatal.
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- Last week two crows found to be infected with West Nile
in suburban Boston triggered a round of emergency meetings, with officials
deciding to start a spraying program to eradicate mosquitoes.
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