Athens reports West Nile case

Northeast Georgia is reporting this year’s first case of West Nile virus. The Athens Banner-Herald reports a woman checked into an Athens hospital with the disease. It’s spread by infected mosquitoes. The disease is not always fatal when healthy people get it. However it’s dangerous to people older than 50.

West Nile claims first Georgian this year

The first death this year in Georgia from West Nile virus has been reported. This comes as state health officials grow more concerned about the rise in cases.

An 80-year-old Clayton County man has died from complications of the virus. A spokesperson for the county's Board of Health says the man died last week in an Atlanta-area hospital. He had contracted the virus in late August.

State health officials today updated the number of cases in the state to 20-—that’s more than double the amount for all of 2006. While about half the cases of West Nile are in the metro Atlanta counties, several others are south of Macon, in Augusta, and in the Columbus-area.

Dr Susan Lance is epidemiology director for the Division of Public Health.

"We are very concerned about West Nile virus in Georgia this year. Normally September is our worst month for human cases, and we’re right in the midst of it, and we’d like to get the word out that people need to take precautions".

She says those precautions include wearing long-sleeve clothing outside, avoiding activity during dawn and dusk hours, and removing standing water in areas around a house.

Two more West Nile cases makes 18 for Georgia

Two more cases of West Nile virus have been reported in Georgia. The total of 18 cases for this year far out-paces the eight cases recorded for all of last year. The two newest cases include a 52-year-old Gwinnett County woman--she is said to be in recovery. In southwest Georgia's Mitchell County near Albany, an 82-year-old Mitchell County woman remains in the hospital in intensive care. West Nile is a virus transmitted by mosquitoes, often picked up from birds they bite, then spread to people.

Third West Nile case of year

A third human case of West Nile has appeared in DeKalb County. The victim is a 54-year-old Stone Mountain man. Two other cases have appeared in Johnson County and Gwinnett County. West Nile is carried by mosquitoes and most cases occur in late summer and early fall.

Officials see worst West Nile season in years

State health officials say Georgia is on a pace to record its worst West Nile virus season in years. That would be a trend to match the rest of the nation. An official says federal money the state has received to test mosquitoes for the virus has been cut in half this year. Two Georgians have been confirmed as infected with the West Nile virus. Officials say a 52-year-old resident of Johnson County, southwest of Macon carries the virus. A 57-year-old resident in metro Atlanta’s Gwinnett County has also been confirmed as carrying West Nile.

This year's first West Nile cases confirmed

Georgia has its first two human cases of West Nile virus of the year. A 57-year-old in Gwinnett County near Atlanta … and a 52-year-old in Johnson County east of Macon. People get West Nile from infected mosquitoes, although most people don’t get sick. Last year there were nine known cases in Georgia, including one death.