Second Dallas County resident dies from West Nile Virus amid 2024 outbreak
FILE - Female Aedes aegypti mosquito in the process of acquiring a blood meal from its human host, 2006. Image courtesy Centers for Disease Control (CDC) / James Gathany. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
Dallas County - A second person has died from West Nile virus in Dallas County during the 2024 season, according to Dallas County Health and Human Services.
Officials said the victim was a Richardson resident with underlying health conditions. Additional information was not released due to confidentiality concerns.
Mosquitoes can become infected with West Nile virus when they feed on infected birds. The mosquitoes then transmit the virus to humans through bites.
Symptoms of West Nile virus include fever, headaches, and muscle aches. Severe infections can lead to neurological complications.
There is currently no vaccine to prevent the virus.
In 2023, two people died from the West Nile virus out of 22 reported cases in Dallas County.