The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reported two cases of West Nile virus have been confirmed in Scurry County this week.
One case was the West Nile fever and one is West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND), a lift-threatening illness that causes neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness and paralysis.
Scurry County resident Robert Fowlkes said he was diagnosed with the West Nile virus in August.
“I was just tired all of the time,” Fowlkes said. “I would get home from work at about 4:30 p.m. and sleep until I had to get up the next morning.”
Fowlkes said he first went to Cogdell Family Clinic, where he received a spinal tap. He was transferred to a Lubbock hospital, where he was treated for the virus, as well as meningitis.
Symptoms of West Nile fever are headaches, fever, muscle and joint aches, nausea and fatigue.
According to the weekly report from DSHS, 228 West Nile virus cases have been reported in Texas with 161 being WNND. The department also reported nine deaths this year were linked to the virus. Last year, the state had 379 West Nile cases and six deaths.
The virus is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito and can infect people, horses, many types of birds and other animals. The DSHS said there is no evidence that the virus can spread from person to person or from animal to person.
People older than 50 have the highest risk of severe disease and people with weakened immune systems are at an increased risk of contracting the virus.
The DSHS offered these safety tips:
• Use an approved insect repellent every time you go outside. Approved repellents contain DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Follow the instructions on the label.
• Regularly drain standing water, including water that collects in empty cans, tires, buckets, clogged rain gutters and saucers under potted plants. Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water.
• Wear long sleeves and pants at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
• Use air conditioning or make sure there are screens on all doors and windows to keep mosquitoes from entering the home.
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