Originally published September 30 2005
Two people infected with West Nile die in Michigan
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Two Michigan residents infected with mosquito-born West Nile virus have died, and their deaths are believed to be related to the virus, marking the first two West Nile deaths the state has seen this year.
Two Wayne County residents with West Nile virus have died, the state health department said Tuesday.
The two victims are the first Michigan deaths associated with the mosquito-borne virus this year, according to the Department of Community Health.
One victim was a 74-year-old Melvindale man, while the second was a 72-year-old woman from an undisclosed location in Wayne County.
"Both were West Nile positive, and we believe West Nile played a role in the deaths," said T.J. Bucholz, a spokesman for the Department of Community Health.
Bucholz said the exact causes of the deaths were not yet known.
Other factors may have contributed to the fatalities, he said.
The state has confirmed 15 human cases of West Nile this year, eight of them in Wayne County.
Four cases have been confirmed in Kent County, with one each in Grand Traverse, Oakland and Macomb counties.
Last year, there were 16 reported cases of West Nile in Michigan, but no one died from the virus.
Two people died in 2003 and 51 in 2002, the virus's peak year in the state.
Most people infected with West Nile do not show any symptoms, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
About 20 percent, however, have flu-like symptoms, including fever, fatigue, headache, and muscle or joint pain.
Less than 1 percent of infected humans become severely ill with symptoms such as high fever, stiff neck, muscle weakness and paralysis.
Some people could die or develop encephalitis, which enlarges the brain, or meningitis, which enlarges the spinal cord and brain linings.
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