NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Three elderly Tennesseans have died of West Nile virus, state health officials said Tuesday.
The West Nile deaths are the first ever in Tennessee, state epidemiologist Dr. Tim Jones said. If confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they would bring the national toll to 34 deaths.
All of the victims lived in West Tennessee - a 91-year-old from Weakley County and an 85-year-old and 72-year-old both from Shelby County.
The state could provide only sketchy details, saying one of the Shelby deaths occurred in the last couple of days while the other two victims died in August.
Jones said each patient had been bitten by a mosquito.
Health officials have identified another eight probable human cases, he said. If confirmed, that would bring the total of human infections in the state to 20, all in West Tennessee.
Since the first human infection in Tennessee was announced Aug. 16, the CDC has listed only only five confirmed or probable human cases of West Nile in the state.
Jones said it could be weeks before the cause of death is confirmed as West Nile in the latest cases.
State officials decided to announce the deaths rather than waiting for confirmation in order to urge residents to protect themselves against mosquito bites, he said.
“The main message is that people need to know about the disease and wear their insect repellent,” Jones said.
The virus is carried by mosquitoes that feed on infected birds and horses.
Most people bitten by the infected insects do not get sick, but the virus can cause flu-like symptoms and encephalitis, a potentially fatal swelling of the brain, in the elderly or those with weakened immune systems.
Jones advised residents to limit outdoor activities between dusk and dawn through October, wear protective clothing such as long pants, long-sleeved shirts and socks while outside, and use a mosquito repellent with DEET.
“We don’t want folks to be terrified and want them to continue to go out and have fun but to take precautions,” he said.
Jones said more deaths from the disease now are expected in Tennessee.
“It’s never going away. It’s going to be a fact of life here,” he said.
West Nile infections in bird and horses have been confirmed in 34 of Tennessee’s 95 counties.
Jones said there is no treatment when humans are infected with the disease and no vaccine.
“Your body just has to fight it off,” he said.
Late last week, Tennessee’s fight against the West Nile virus received a $333,000 funding boost from the CDC.
The state will use the money to expand laboratory capacity for testing, increase public awareness efforts, enhance surveillance activities and conduct a mosquito research project in Shelby County. The grant brought CDC funding for Tennessee efforts against the mosquito-borne illness to $583,000 this year.
