New York man diagnosed with West Nile virus >

http://www.nandotimes.com/noframes/story/0,2107,500235939-500344754-50198542 8-0,00.html

> > By LARRY NEUMEISTER, Associated Press

> > NEW YORK (August 4, 2000 5:24 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) -

> Health officials on Friday confirmed the year's first human case of the > West Nile virus, a 78-year-old New York City man. > > The patient, whose identity was not revealed, was recovering at home > Friday.

> > The mosquito-borne virus was first detected in the Western Hemisphere > last year, and the disease killed seven people last summer. > > An aggressive pesticide-spraying campaign has helped keep West Nile at > bay this year. But it has been found in birds and mosquitoes elsewhere > in the Northeast and authorities expect it to continue to spread.

> > The public diagnosis came as New York state renewed its request for > federal aid to help cover the costs of fighting the virus.

> > Steven M. Ostroff, West Nile virus coordinator for the federal > government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the next > several weeks - when mosquitoes are out in the greatest numbers - would > be a fairly critical period. > > "You're not entirely out of the woods until we get the first frost," he > said.

> > The man afflicted with the virus became ill July 20 with fever, > dizziness and lightheadedness, City Health Commissioner Dr. Neal Cohen > said.

> > The man, who was apparently exposed before the pesticide spraying, spent > a week in the hospital before returning home in the New York borough of > Staten Island, Cohen said. > > West Nile symptoms include high fever, gastrointestinal problems, muscle > ache, headache and mental confusion. In the most serious instances - > usually among children, the elderly, or others with weaker immune > systems - the virus can cause a deadly swelling of the brain known as > encephalitis.

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