West Nile Virus

St. Louis County reports first probable human West Nile case of the year

Kelsey Proud and Véronique LaCapra — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 22:08:27 +0000

St. Louis County has reported its first probable human case of West Nile Virus.

The victim was a 55-year-old woman from Kirkwood. She’s believed to have contracted the mosquito-transmitted disease early this summer and has since completely recovered.

The Director of Communicable Disease Control at the St. Louis County Department of Health, Dr. Faisal Khan, says most people who are infected with the virus don’t develop any symptoms.

Mild cases experience something like the flu, but about 1 in 150 people will get severely ill.

With West Nile on the rise, we answer your questions

Richard Knox — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 19:43:59 +0000

This year is on track to be the worst ever for West Nile virus in the United States. Here are the latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

1,590 reported cases, nearly 500 more than a week ago for a rise of 44 percent.

889 cases, or 56 percent, involve severe neurological disease.

66 deaths, compared to 41 last week.

Every state except Alaska and Hawaii has reported West Nile virus in people, birds or mosquitoes.

St. Louis County boosts anti-mosquito efforts

Rachel Lippmann — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 19:38:54 +0000

A big jump in human cases of West Nile Virus in Illinois, Texas and Arkansas is prompting St. Louis County to boost its spraying to combat mosquitoes.

"An extra team of vector control employees will spray strategic areas in the early morning hours this week to reduce the number of breeding adult mosquitoes and knock down any that may be carrying West Nile Virus," Vector Control Operations Manager Drew Hane said. That team is a supplement to evening and overnight spraying efforts.

The county health department is urging residents to take the following steps:

Morning headlines - Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Rachel Lippmann and The Associated Press — Wed, 23 May 2012 11:55:22 +0000

Mo. mountain lions are visitors, not natives

The number of mountain lion sightings in the state of Missouri is on the rise, and DNA tests show some of them are visiting from other states.

The Missouri Conservation Department confirmed 14 mountain lion sightings last year – that’s up from a total of 12 in the previous 16 years.

Wellston boy is St. Louis County's first case of West Nile

Rachel Lippmann — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:59:37 +0000

Despite cooler weather over the past several days, it's still mosquito season, and that means there's the potential for West Nile Virus cases.

The St. Louis County Department of Health has reported its first suspected human case. A 12-year-old boy from Wellston was briefly hospitalized with West Nile symptoms, though the department says he has returned to normal activities.

The county says there was one human case last year.