(WWJ) -- Health officials are reminding the public to protect themselves from mosquito bites, as the first human case of West Nile Virus in Oakland County this year has been confirmed.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says the case is in a 70-year-old Oakland County man. His condition is unknown and officials have not said where the man is from.
West Nile is spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito and the Oakland County Health Division wants to remind residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites. The virus can cause a fever and other potentially fatal illnesses.
Mosquitoes remain very active until cold temperatures set in, so officials are telling the public to cover up this fall. When doing outdoor activities, people should wear long sleeves and pants, use insect repellant that contains DEET, and limit time outdoors from dusk to dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.
Officials say to empty standing water around the home, such as buckets or flower pots, where mosquitoes tend to breed.
The first confirmed case of West Nile in Oakland County in 2019 comes as another mosquito-borne virus has impacted areas in southwest Michigan.
Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) has hit the counties of Barry, Berrien, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo and Van Buren over the last month. At least eight cases of EEE have been confirmed in those counties, causing at least three deaths.
EEE is one of the most dangerous mosquito-borne diseases in the U.S. with a 33 percent fatality rate in people who become ill. Signs of EEE include the sudden onset of fever, chills, body and joint aches which can progress to a severe encephalitis, resulting in headache, disorientation, tremors, seizures and paralysis. Permanent brain damage, coma and death may also occur in some cases. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should visit their physician's office.
