West Nile virus case reported in Hot Springs

The Daily Inter Lake

The Sanders County Public Health Department announced Thursday that a Hot Springs man has tested positive for the West Nile virus.

Cindy Morgan, health director, said the victim was a man in his 50s who has recovered. He visited a health-care provider for testing but was not hospitalized.

The man is the only case confirmed in Sanders County, Morgan said. No horses in that county have tested positive for the virus.

The Hot Springs case occurred after two other human cases reported earlier in Montana. A 27-year-old man in Flathead County and a 28-year-old man in Madison County also tested positive for West Nile virus. Both recovered from their illnesses.

In August, the mosquito-borne virus infected two horses in the Flathead. One was euthanized, and the other was diagnosed early and was expected to recover.

Neither of the horses had received the equine vaccine that prevents or diminishes the impact of the virus. There is no vaccine to protect humans.

The virus remains a threat until a killing frost marks the end of mosquito activity for this season. Health officials urge residents to continue taking precautions against mosquito bites by using repellents, covering exposed skin and avoiding going outdoors at dawn and dusk.

Symptoms of the disease include fever, headache and fatigue. Occasionally, an infected person develops a rash on the trunk, eye pain and swollen lymph glands. Symptoms typically last a few days, but some people have reported illness lasting several weeks.

Rarely, the disease can cause inflammation of the brain and spinal cord and lead to death. Symptoms may develop between 2 and 14 days of being bitten by an infected mosquito.

For more information from the Sanders County Public Health Department, call Morgan at 827-6925.