Death From West Nile Virus Reported In Coastal Georgia

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The mosquito injects saliva, which contains an anesthetic, and an anticoagulant into the puncture wound, and in infected mosquitoes, West Nile virus.

Health officials on the Georgia coast are reporting a fatal case of mosquito-borne West Nile virus.

The Coastal Health District of the Georgia Department of Public Health said in a news release Monday that officials have confirmed one death of a person infected with West Nile in Chatham County, which includes Savannah. Two other human cases of West Nile have also been confirmed in the county, where West Nile was reported in mosquito populations in July.

Georgia health officials have blamed West Nile for five deaths statewide this year, and 31 total human cases have been confirmed.

The federal Centers for Disease Control says most people infected with West Nile show no symptoms. Others suffer fever, headaches, aches, vomiting and diarrhea, with severe cases affecting the central nervous system.