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2 More West Nile Deaths Confirmed In Travis County

Updated: Tuesday, November 13 2012, 03:17 PM CST

Two more Travis County residents have died from West Nile Virus, according to county health officials.

Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services confirmed the death from West Nile Neuroinvasive disease on Tuesday afternoon.

They are not releasing detailed information about the people who died, only that they had matched the Centers of Disease Control profile for those at highest risk of severe illness -- over 50 years of age with underlying health conditions.

The deaths occurred on Oct. 31 and Nov. 6, both had been sick since September.

These deaths bring the total fatalities from West Nile in Travis County to five.

The first West Nile Virus case for Travis County this year was announced in July -- the first since 2008. This year there have been 142 confirmed human cases of West Nile Virus in Travis County including the five deaths. 

Cooler weather has led to a significant decrease in mosquito activity in recent weeks.  The last onset of human illness in Travis County was reported on October 10. Additional information on mosquito surveillance and prevention measures is available on our city of Austin website at: www.austintexas.gov/westnile.

About one in 150 people infected with WNV will develop severe illness. The severe symptoms can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may be permanent. Symptoms can last for as short as a few days, though even healthy people have become sick for several weeks.2 More West Nile Deaths Confirmed In Travis County