The first human case of West Nile virus in Ohio for 2012 has been found in Clermont County.
Health officials said an 85 year-old man was determined to have the virus on Friday.
WNV is spread through mosquito bites and is endemic throughout the United States. According to the Ohio Department of Health, this case is about a month earlier than last year and is attributed to the warmer, drier weather.
So far in 2012, 374 mosquito pools have tested positive for WNV. At this time last year, the Ohio Department of Health lab had only recorded 59 WNV-positive mosquito pools.
The current year’s early increase in WNV activity is similar to 2002, during which there were 299 positive pools by the end of July. By the end of the 2002 season, there were 441 human WNV cases and 31 fatalities in Ohio.
In humans, WNV may produce no symptoms, or can lead to West Nile fever or severe West Nile disease. Most people who are infected with West Nile virus will not develop any type of illness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that about 20 percent of people who become infected with WNV will develop West Nile fever.
Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, and body aches, occasionally with a skin rash and swollen lymph glands.
While the illness can be as short as a few days, even healthy people have reported being sick for several weeks. Less than 1 percent of those with WNV will develop a more severe form of disease such as West Nile encephalitis or meningitis.
The Clermont County Health District recommends residents take the following steps to reduce mosquito exposure: