Two more people in Colorado died from confirmed West Nile virus cases, bringing the 2023 death total to four in the state.
The reported Tuesday that a 66-year-old person died after a lengthy hospitalization because of West Nile virus, and Boulder County Public Health confirmed on Tuesday that a Longmont resident died from meningoencephalitis caused by West Nile virus.
Both deaths were the first from West Nile virus in 2023 in their respective counties.
Neither county identified the residents or said when the people died.
“We are so sad that the West Nile virus has claimed the life of a Longmont resident and our thoughts are with the family and friends mourning their loss,” Joan Peck, Longmont’s mayor, said in a news release.
The state’s first death from West Nile was reported on Aug. 4 in Weld County. A second death from it was reported on Monday in La Plata County.
Colorado health officials are reporting higher-than-normal numbers of West Nile virus cases in 2023. They attribute the jump to a wet winter and spring, which allowed Culex mosquitoes to thrive. Increased human cases follow reports of high infection levels in the Culex mosquitoes.
Larimer County health officials said their 29 confirmed cases are outpacing cases from previous years. Eight people have been hospitalized, according to the county health department’s news release.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported 72 people have been infected and 41 of them required hospitalization. Thirty-seven people have experienced neurological symptoms, according to .
The West Nile virus season typically runs from May to October. Health officials recommend people use a DEET spray and avoid being outdoors from dusk to dawn when mosquitoes are most active. If you have to be outside during those hours, wear long sleeves and pants.
They also recommend getting rid of any standing water in your yard.
The first symptoms of the virus can include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches, joint pain, weakness and a rash. Less than 1% of individuals infected with West Nile virus develop a serious, sometimes fatal, neuroinvasive illness.
There are no vaccines to prevent the virus or medications to treat it.
Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.
