A Loveland resident is the first person in Larimer County to be hospitalized with a confirmed case of West Nile virus this summer, authorities say.
The person, whose name has not been released, had meningitis, a neuroinvasive form of West Nile Virus disease, according to Katie O’Donnell, Larimer County Health Department spokeswoman.
The county also received reports of two other people infected with West Nile virus who were not hospitalized, O’Donnell said in a news release Saturday.
Both of their illnesses were discovered when they donated blood and in each case they were “asymptomatic.”
“These infections in Larimer County residents show that the risk of West Nile disease is increasing, and everyone along the county’s Front Range should be taking personal precautions to prevent mosquito bites,” said Dr. Adrienne LeBailly, Health department director.
She said that workers in Loveland, Windsor, Timnath and Johnstown were all spraying to keep larvae from growing into biting mosquitoes.
Fewer than 1 percent of people infected by the disease develop the more severe neuroinvasive form, which can lead to hospitalization, critical illness, chronic disability or even death, according to O’Donnell.
Residents are urged to use Deet, wear long sleeves and pants, and remove standing water in their yard or garden to minimize mosquito breeding.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, or
