The Jamestown Canyon virus has been confirmed for the first time in Nebraska, according to the Douglas County Health Department. Officials said a sample of a mosquito swarm taken from Lake Cunningham in Douglas County on June 25 contained the virus. The virus, which was first identified in Colorado in 1961, is transmitted to humans through the bite of a mosquito that has bitten an infected white-tailed deer, the Douglas County Health Department said. Officials said humans are “dead-end” hosts, meaning they cannot transmit the virus to mosquitoes that bite them. The virus cannot be transmitted from person to person. No human cases have been confirmed in the United States this year, according to the Douglas County Health Department. Symptoms can range from a flu-like illness with fever to severe neurological illnesses such as meningitis and meningoencephalitis. The incubation period is usually two to 14 days after the mosquito bite, according to the health department. “About half of all cases require hospitalization, but deaths are rare. Since there is no cure, treatment is to treat symptoms until the patient recovers,” the health department said in a release.The health department urges people to take precautions such as using bug repellent, wearing long pants and long sleeves and installing bug screens on windows. Click here for the latest headlines from KETV NewsWatch 7
The Jamestown Canyon virus has been identified for the first time in Nebraska, according to the Douglas County Health Department.
Officials said the virus was detected in a mosquito colony sample taken June 25 from Lake Cunningham in Douglas County.
The virus, which was first identified in Colorado in 1961, is transmitted to humans through the bite of a mosquito that has bitten an infected white-tailed deer, according to the Douglas County Health Department.
Officials said humans are “dead-end” hosts and cannot transmit the virus to mosquitoes through their bites, and the virus cannot be transmitted from person to person.
The Douglas County Health Department announced that there have been no confirmed cases of human infection in the United States this year.
Symptoms range from a flu-like illness with fever to severe neurological diseases such as meningitis and meningoencephalitis. The incubation period is usually two to 14 days after the mosquito bite, according to the health department.
“About half of all cases require hospitalization, but deaths are rare. There is no cure, so treatment involves treating symptoms until the patient recovers,” the health department said in a statement.
The health department is urging people to take precautions such as using bug repellent, wearing long pants and long sleeves, and installing insect screens on windows.
