Dallas Confirmed First West Nile Virus Human Infection for 2023

Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) today reported the first human case of West Nile Virus (WNV) in Dallas County for 2023.

The patient is a male resident and was diagnosed with West Nile Neuroinvasive Disease (WNND), which may affect the brain and spinal cord. 

WNV is a disease that is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. It is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the U.S. The virus can infect humans, birds, mosquitoes, horses, and some other animals.

“WNV is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito, and people should be careful when going out outside to enjoy outdoor activities,” said Dr. Philip Huang, DCHHS Director, in a press release on July 10, 2023.

Most people infected with WNV, about 80%, will not develop illness, says the Texas Health and Human Services.

Twenty percent of infected people develop a typically mild form of the disease known as West Nile fever, which may include fever, headache, body aches, and occasionally a skin rash on the trunk of the body and swollen lymph glands.

Only about one out of 150 people infected with West Nile virus will develop WNND.

As of late June 2023, there has been 10 WNND cases confirmed this year.

The U.S. CDC says there is no specific treatment for WNV infections nor is there an effective human vaccine.