West Nile virus contributed to elderly Tucsonan's death

The woman was in her 70s and lived in midtown, said Dr. Francisco Garcia, director of the Pima County Health Department, in an interview Wednesday.

“She had other complicating medical issues, which probably were the reason for her death,” Garcia said. “We believe West Nile was a contributing factor to her death, but not the main cause of her death.”

Garcia said frail, elderly people with compromised health whose immune systems are not working well will be affected by the virus. It can be transmitted to animals and humans through the bite of a mosquito which has previously bitten an infected bird.

A case of West Nile virus also was confirmed in Pinal County Tuesday by public health officials.

The Pima County case was the first case of the virus confirmed this year, Garcia said. There were six probable and/or confirmed cases in 2014; in 2013 there were two. In 2012, there were 33 cases and two deaths, he said.

“This is the season when the West Nile virus occurs in Arizona and the Southwest,” Garcia said. “It happens when monsoons are ongoing, and most cases are resolved spontaneously.”

He recommended people wear long sleeves and pants and spray mosquito repellent. “Empty standing water, and keep mosquitoes out of your house.” If you find mosquitoes breeding, report it to the health department at 243-7999, or at pima.gov/mosquito online.

Garcia said most people infected with the virus do not experience symptoms.

Symptoms can include speech problems and confusion, which typically send a person to an emergency room or a doctor’s office, he said. Further investigation by medical staff will show “neurologic findings that the brain and central nervous system is not functioning well,” said Garcia.

Confirmed laboratory results of the virus must be reported to state and county health department officials, he said.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one out of 150 people who become ill with the virus will develop more serious disease, such as meningitis or encephalitis that may require hospitalization.

People older than 60 years of age are at the greatest risk for severe disease because of the virus. Also, people who have cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, or are an organ recipient have greater risk for serious illness.