Woman dies in Allegheny County’s first West Nile virus case of 2023
Officials have identified the first human case of West Nile virus in 2023 in Allegheny County.
The woman, who was in her 80s and lived in Pittsburgh’s Elliott neighborhood, experienced fever and weakness, leading to hospitalization, the Allegheny County Health Department said Monday. She died in late September.
The state Department of Health has reported 10 cases of West Nile virus this year to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), county officials said.
According to the CDC, 70% to 80% of people that become infected with West Nile virus do not develop symptoms and are not impacted. About 20% who do become infected will develop a fever with other symptoms such as headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or rash.
Most people with symptoms can recover on their own, county officials said. Less than 1% of people infected with the virus will develop severe symptoms of neurologic illness caused by inflammation of the brain or surrounding tissues.
Justin Vellucci is a TribLive reporter covering crime and public safety in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. A longtime freelance journalist and former reporter for the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press, he worked as a general assignment reporter at the Trib from 2006 to 2009 and returned in 2022. He can be reached at jvellucci@triblive.com.
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