West Nile virus causes second death in Lazio: a 77-year-old man who was hospitalized at Spallanzani Hospital dies.

A second West Nile virus victim has been reported in Lazio. A 77-year-old man died at dawn at the Spallanzani Institute in Rome. The new victim had chronic conditions and had undergone a heart transplant.

According to initial information, the 77-year-old lived in the province of Latina and had recently stayed in Baia Domizia , in the province of Caserta.

This is the second West Nile victim after Filomena Di Giovangiulio , the 82-year-old woman who died on Sunday, July 20, at the San Giovanni di Dio Hospital in Fondi, in the province of Latina. The woman had been hospitalized on July 14, with a fever and appeared confused.

West Nile virus

West Nile Disease (WND) is caused by a virus that lives in wild birds and can be transmitted through mosquito bites to mammals, birds, and reptiles. The mosquito that transmits West Nile virus is not the tiger mosquito, but rather our common nocturnal mosquito , which bites from dusk to dawn.

In rare cases, humans can contract the virus, but cannot infect others. In 80 percent of cases, no symptoms appear, while the remaining 20 percent experience flu-like symptoms (fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, swollen lymph nodes, skin rashes), and in less than 1 percent of cases, neurological symptoms (in 0.6 percent of cases, the virus causes severe neurological conditions (encephalitis, meningoencephalitis, or flaccid paralysis).

Of course, there are ways to prevent it , such as using insect repellent while outdoors. To prevent mosquito breeding, it's essential to cover rainwater tanks and containers with airtight lids, tarps, or mosquito nets; treat manholes and storm drains, drainage areas, and stagnant water with larvicides approximately every 15 days; screen doors and windows with mosquito nets; eliminate any shelters from buildings and homes where infected birds can nest; remove stagnant water and change water in pets' bowls frequently; ensure gutters are clean and unobstructed; and keep children's pools empty and covered when not in use.

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