Tarrant County records West Nile virus death

Mosquito Photo by Jimmy Chan from Pexels

Tarrant County Public Health reported the first West Nile virus death of the 2020 season. The death is also the first human case of West Nile virus in 2020. The death involved a senior adult from Fort Worth with underlying medical conditions. Additional details are not being released due to privacy laws.

West Nile virus can affect anyone, although people age 50 and older run a higher risk of developing a severe infection. About 20% of infected people will develop a fever with other symptoms such as headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or rash. Most people with this type of the disease recover completely, but fatigue and weakness can last for weeks or months.

The last WNV death in Tarrant County was reported in September of 2018. The last human case was August of 2019.