At least one person in Duval County has caught West Nile virus from a mosquito, the health department warned Thursday.
In a news release, health officials said they’re concerned more people will become sick, as they’ve seen a recent increase in mosquito-borne disease activity.
Symptoms of West Nile range from fever and headaches to comas and paralysis, according to the CDC.
As city mosquito-control workers continue surveillance and prevention efforts, Jacksonville residents are being urged to take extra care to avoid mosquito bites and to drain standing water from anywhere it collects.
At the same time, state health officials are on high alert about another mosquito-borne illness.
More than 560 people in Florida have caught the Zika virus from mosquitoes within the state or other countries. The number of cases continues to grow.
Contact Jessica Palombo at 904-358-6315, jpalombo@wjct.org or on Twitter at @JessicaPubRadio.
Photo by John Tann used under Creative Commons license.
