MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Health officials have confirmed the first human case of West Nile virus in Shelby County this year.
The Shelby County Health Department said Monday that a 74-year-old man has contracted the mosquito-borne disease. The department says his is the second case of West Nile virus to be reported this year in Tennessee.
Humans become infected by mosquito bites. Severe symptoms occur in about one in 150 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Symptoms include high fever, headache, disorientation, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. Individuals older than 50 are more likely to develop serious symptoms.
Residents are asked to manage mosquito populations around their homes by eliminating standing water where mosquitoes lay eggs, repairing broken windows and door screens and cleaning rain gutters.
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