West Nile virus death reported in South Carolina
A week after the Cumberland County Health Department identified its first 2022 case of the West Nile virus disease, which is carried to humans through mosquitos, someone in South Carolina has died from the virus.
WMBF reports South Carolina's Department of Health and Environmental Control said one person died from the West Nile Virus, marking the first death from the virus in the state this year.
There are confirmed 11 human cases of the virus in S.C. so far this year. Of those 11 cases, nine are from the Midlands area, with six of those in Richland County. The other two cases the agency reported were confirmed in the Upstate, DHEC says.
Cumberland County Health Director Jennifer Green said people who are immunocompromised or elderly should make sure to wear bug spray that is approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. That's the best way to prevent transmission of the West Nile virus, Green said.
The health department said around one in five people who are infected get sick. The symptoms of West Nile virus are:
- Headache
- Body ache
- Joint pains
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Rash
Most people who are infected with West Nile virus have no symptoms at all, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.
In 2018, North Carolina had 10 cases of the virus reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. North Carolina only saw one case reported to the CDC each year in 2019 and 2020.
Since 1999, there have only been 83 cases of the virus reported to the CDC in North Carolina.
