‘BE VERY CAREFUL’: FOUR HUMAN CASES OF WEST NILE VIRUS CONFIRMED IN OKLAHOMA

TULSA, Okla. –

The state health department is reporting four human cases of West Nile Virus across the state right now, including one in Green Country.

Mosquitos are spreading West Nile Virus, and the state says it’s now considered to be widespread. The state health department reports there are two confirmed human cases in Oklahoma County, one in Stephens County, and one in Pittsburg County, for a total of four human cases.

The Tulsa Health Department’s website outlines which neighborhoods are seeing activity, based on its mosquito trap data. It shows which areas have tested positive each week, and for the whole year so far.

“We have 31 test samples that are positive for this season already and we still have a few more months to go, so that is a very high number compared to as all numbers,” Tulsa Health Department Epidemiologist Abhishek Shakya said.

Shakya said the Tulsa Health Department typically sees mosquitos through September.

“That means we do have West Nile Virus out there so you just kind of have to be very careful when you’re going around, because you don’t want to be in those areas and then get bitten by a mosquito and then later on you start to have symptoms,” Shakya said.

The virus can be deadly, and THD reports the last time someone died in Tulsa County from West Nile, was in 2021.

The state health department said most people infected with West Nile Virus will not have any symptoms, but those who do may experience a sudden fever, headache, and body or joint pain.