MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — Officials say a Shelby County man is Tennessee's first case of West Nile virus this year.
The county health department and the Tennessee Department of Health disclosed yesterday that a 46-year-old man in Memphis has contracted the mosquito-borne illness.
Last year, 24 people contracted West Nile virus in Tennessee, nine of those in Shelby County. Officials say three cases resulted in death.
State Epedemiologist Abelardo Moncayo says the majority of people who contract the disease won’t even know they have it.
“Twenty percent of people who get infected do get a fever that can be very severe actually. About one percent of people get more severe symptoms, neurological symptoms, and in a small percentage of those that can even lead to death.”
Health officials say eliminating standing water around your home or business is one of the most effective ways to help reduce mosquitoes and so lower the risk of contracting the virus.