Popular Spanish city confirms first case of deadly disease spread by mosquitos
A Spanish city has confirmed its first case of a deadly disease. West Nile Virus, a mosquito-borne virus, has been making its way through the country.
And now a man in Cadiz, Andalucia, has been admitted to hospital with the disease. Lab tests confirming it is the province’s first known case of West Nile Virus. The Vejer council said in a comment: "all our support to the affected local and his family", while asking the rest of the citizens to "be calm and cautious".
Cadizis now enforcing tougher measures against the deadly virus. This is likely to include installing more mosquito traps and raising awareness among the local population, The Express reports.
READ MORE: The scandalous truth about Birmingham's child poverty emergency laid bare
Health authorities confirmed a man and a woman, both from nearby Jaen, died with the virus. If the deaths are confirmed to be from the West Nile virus, it will bring the total number of deaths in the region to eight this summer.
Councillor Begoña Medina is urging Malaga city councillor Penélope Gómez to provide more information on the mosquito that transmits the West Nile virus. This comes after concerns about the rapid spread of the virus has sparked fear among residents, particularly in rural areas where mosquito populations are higher.
A 64-year-old woman from the Cardoba town of La Rambla remains in a critical condition in the hospital’s intensive care unit.
She had been hospitalised for three weeks before the virus was confirmed.
Symptoms of West Nile Virus can include:
High fever
Headache
Neck stiffness
Stupor
Disorientation
Coma
Tremors
Convulsions
Muscle weakness
Vision loss
Numbness
Paralysis
The CDC states: "Severe illness can occur in people of any age. However, people over 60 years of age are at greater risk for severe illness if they are infected (1 in 50 people). People with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, and people who have received organ transplants, are also at greater risk.
"About one out of 10 people who develop severe illness affecting the central nervous system die."