A 79-year-old Weld County woman became the state’s first death from West Nile virus this year when she passed away on Sept. 7, the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment said Wednesday.
Her name was not released. She had been sick since late August and was hospitalized at the time of her death, the health department in Greeley said in a media release.
So far this year, the virus has been confirmed in 40 people in Colorado, including eight in Weld County. The first confirmed case this year was reported in Weld County on July 2, after a 53-year-old woman became ill.
“Even though each year we expect to lose a few people to West Nile infection, we are always saddened when it occurs,” Dr. Mark Wallace, executive director of the Weld County health department, stated.
He said that even though Colorado is nearing the end of mosquito season, people should take precautions with repellant and proper clothing outdoors.
West Nile is carried by mosquitoes and are “still very active and will be as long as the weather is warm,” according to the health department.
Last year, there were 103 cases in Colorado, three of them fatal. The peak was in 2003, when 2,947 people were infected in Colorado and 63 people died.
For more information .
