Health Dept. confirms 16th case of West Nile virus in El Paso

The City of El Paso Department of Public Health announces the city’s 16th case of West Nile virus.

The patient is an 87-year-old man who lives in the 79915 zip code area.

“As a Department we are still waiting for the first hard freeze in El Paso. We anticipate that a sustained drop in the temperature will greatly reduce the incidence of this disease,” said Fernando Gonzalez, Lead Epidemiologist. “Until then we need to continue to do our best to keep the number of cases down.”

Residents can keep track of local West Nile cases, where the patients reside, and what some of the disease related trends are by visiting www.EPHealth.com and clicking on the West Nile Virus Prevention Page. A new interactive map is available and will be updated as new cases emerge. So far two local deaths have been associated with the disease. There were 30 cases of West Nile reported in El Paso at this time last year.

Source: Health Dept.