West Nile Virus Claims First Victim in Colorado

August 6, 2003
By ROBERT WELLER
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

GREELEY - The West Nile virus, which has marched steadily toward the Pacific since it first appeared in the United States in 1999, has claimed its first life in Colorado, officials said Tuesday.

The announcement marked a grim milestone: Until now, the virus had not killed anyone west of Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and North Dakota.

The victim was not identified by Weld County health officials because of the state’s strict medical confidentiality rules, though they said she had chronic medical problems. The Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper, citing anonymous health officials, identified her as 77-year-old Maria Flores and said she died Friday at a Greeley hospital.

The death is at least the nation’s fourth from the virus this year, with two victims in Texas and another in Alabama. So far, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming are the westernmost states to report human cases of the disease; of those, only Colorado has had a fatality.

‘‘We are very sorry for the family’s loss of their loved one,’’ said Dr. Mark Wallace, director of the Weld County health department. ‘‘We had hoped to get through the season without any deaths. We are doing everything we can to protect our citizens.’’

The county and Greeley have spent more than $700,000 on mosquito control. County Commissioner M.J. Geile said more will be spent if necessary.

Experts are trying to figure out why Colorado is leading the nation in the number of human cases, with 72 confirmed as of Tuesday. The virus first appeared here in August, but none of the 13 human cases last year was fatal.

This year’s cool, wet spring and hot summer is partly to blame.

‘‘They were perfect breeding conditions for mosquitos,’’ Wallace said.

John Pappe, an epidemiologist with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, also said the virus appears to be much stronger during its second year.

‘‘The virus has had the whole year to be here, but there is still is no resistance built up,’’ he said. ‘‘Next year, many of the birds who carry the disease will either have died or be immune.’’

That was small comfort to Scott Cacala, a 28-year-old Milliken man who was among the first people to be infected this year. He thought it was the flu.

‘‘I had never been that sick in my life,’’ he said. ‘‘After a couple of weeks, I started throwing up. I went to the emergency room but they sent me home. The next day they put me in the hospital.

‘‘My wife was really freaking out. I really thought I was going to die.’’

Last year, there were a record 4,156 West Nile cases in the United States, including 284 deaths.The disease is carried by infected birds and then spread locally by mosquitoes that bite them.

Officials expect the virus to eventually spread to every state. In California, 222 flocks of caged ‘‘sentinel’’ chickens are tested regularly for the virus.

The majority of people bitten by an infected mosquito do not become ill. But the virus can cause flu-like symptoms and a swelling of the brain that can be fatal.

Authorities in Colorado and elsewhere have tried to contain the disease by spraying wet areas with pesticides. But Pappe warned that there are likely to be hundreds of cases in Colorado by the time fall arrives.

He urged people not to ‘‘overflood’’ the health system.

‘‘Just because you have a headache and a temperature of 99 degrees for one day doesn’t mean that you should call your doctor,’’ he said.

Kaiser Permanente of Colorado fielded more than 300 calls Monday from people who thought they might have West Nile fever, said Dr. Gray Houlton of Kaiser. He expected more calls Tuesday.

Two weeks after he was released from the hospital, Cacala said he still feels weak and doesn’t have the energy to go out in the summer heat.

‘‘My wife sprays our 5-year-old son head to toe with mosquito repellent before she’ll take him outside,’’ he said.

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