West Nile Virus Isn’t Going Away, Agency Warns

National health officials warned Monday that the West Nile virus is here to stay and that simple prevention efforts, such as wearing insect repellent, are the best way to manage the epidemic.

Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters that she wasn’t surprised human infections have risen since the disease spread south and west from New York, where it was first seen in 1999. The disease has been found in 88 people so far this year.

Gerberding insisted there is little chance of eliminating the mosquito-borne disease, especially when it spreads to areas with longer summers and warmer water.

Instead, she said, local officials should spray for mosquitoes when the virus has been detected, and people should eliminate standing water from their lawns to reduce their risk. Wearing insect repellent and long pants and shirts also are recommended.

“I don’t think we want to overstate the situation,” she said in a media briefing. “It’s been an evolving problem, so therefore there is a certain sense of urgency. But I don’t think we need to send the message there’s a crisis.”

Meanwhile, Arkansas health officials reported the first suspected human case of West Nile virus in the state Monday.

Dr. Fay Boozman, director of the Arkansas Department of Health, would not identify a man thought to be infected with the potentially fatal virus, but said he lived near the Arkansas-Louisiana borderline.

Four people in Louisiana have died this summer of West Nile, a virus that can cause flu-like symptoms and sometimes potentially fatal swelling of the brain. Most of the victims have been older people or those with weak immune systems.

The virus has been detected in 34 states and the District of Columbia.