NewsOK.com
A southeastern Oklahoma woman has the state’s first confirmed case of West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne disease that in 2007 killed eight people in the state. The 55-year-old woman in Pittsburg County has survived. Her name isn’t being released. The state Health Department confirmed the West Nile virus case after the woman suffered a sudden onset of fever, headaches, dizziness and muscle weakness — all common West Nile symptoms.
Health authorities acknowledged that the case came early in the West Nile season, which is July through October. State epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley said these specific steps should be taken to avoid mosquito bites: Stay indoors or use insect repellent between dusk and dawn if you’re outside when mosquitoes are more likely to bite; and drain standing water from buckets, cans, pool covers, and flower pots.
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