MIAMI (WSVN) - The Florida Department of Health has confirmed 10 additional cases of the West Nile virus in Miami-Dade County.
The announcement came Thursday night and brings the total of locally transmitted infections to 14 in 2020.
The first case this year was reported on May 9. A second case followed on May 27, and two more cases were confirmed June 11.
West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States. It is usually spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito.
Health officials said that 14 cases of West Nile is something to be concerned about.
“It is a concerning number, especially when we have a lot of rain going on right now, so that is concerning,” said Marie Etienne of the Miami-Dade Health Department.
Most people who contract the virus do not feel symptoms. About one in five develop symptoms like fever, headache, pain and fatigue.
As with the coronavirus, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems are at higher risk to contracting the West Nile virus from an infected mosquito.
“The symptoms can be fever, malaise like you feel very tired, headache,” Etienne said.
In Monroe County, it’s dengue fever, for which they have about 10 cases.
People with mild illness typically recover within a week with symptomatic treatment. Less than one percent of infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.
Symptoms typically appear between two and 14 days after the bite from an infected mosquito.
There are currently no vaccines to prevent the illness or medications to treat it.
Officials advise residents to drain standing water from garbage cans, house gutters or any other containers where sprinkler or rainwater has collected. They said they are focusing on storm drains, where the mosquito carrying West Nile virus likes to breed.
“As soon as we get a notification, this takes priority over everything else,” said Dr. Bill Peatrie, director of mosquito control. “Even though we are having a record service request this year and very high numbers of mosquitoes, everything has to take a back seat, obviously, to any disease notification that we get.”
They also advise residents to wear long sleeves and pants and to use repellent that contains DEET on bare skin and clothing.
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