West Nile virus detected in Houston: here’s what you need to know.

Harris County Public Health identified the first positive case of West Nile virus this year from a mosquito sample in the 77019 ZIP code, which stretches from River Oaks south to Memorial Park west to Interstate 45 to the east.

As mosquito numbers continue to rise in and around Harris County, here’s what you need to know:

What is West Nile virus?

West Nile virus disease is caused by a virus that circulates between mosquitoes and birds. People catch the virus when mosquitoes bite infected birds before biting humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Humans are considered “dead-end hosts” by disease experts, meaning the virus almost never spreads between humans or from humans to other species.

Is West Nile virus deadly?

Eight out of ten people infected with West Nile virus do not develop any symptoms.

For about one in five infected people, the disease can cause symptoms such as headache, body aches, joint pain, diarrhea or a rash. Although symptoms can last for weeks or even months in rare cases, almost everyone who does not become seriously ill will make a full recovery.

About one in 150 people infected with West Nile virus suffers serious and life-threatening illness. According to the CDC, serious illness may include symptoms of high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, numbness or paralysis, headache, or neck stiffness.

What does West Nile virus do?

Most people infected with West Nile virus will never develop symptoms.

In very rare cases of severe illness, the virus attacks the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and causes inflammation and swelling of the brain (encephalitis) or inflammation of the surrounding membranes of the brain (meningitis). Both conditions may require weeks or months for full recovery and can cause permanent brain damage.

About one in ten people seriously infected with West Nile virus die.

Does West Nile virus affect pregnancy?

Pregnant people are not at increased risk of West Nile infection. A pregnant person with West Nile can pass the virus to their baby, but the chances are very low: “only a few” cases of neonatal West Nile virus infection have been reported, according to the CDC.

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