The first Wisconsinite to die form the West Nile Virus was a 93-year-old man from the Town of Madison.
Elwood Levake passed away Aug. 30, just a day after he was checked into St. Mary's Hospital with symptoms pointing to the West Nile Virus, according to Gareth Johnson, administrator of the Dane County Human Service Department's Division of Public Health. Johnson and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk held a press conference Saturday morning in order to announce the results of tests that were used to confirm the presence of the West Nile virus.
\The fact that someone with the West Nile Virus has died, while tragic, doesn't change the level of risk for the community at large and that level is very small,"" Falk said at the press conference.
Johnson said that less than 1 percent of the total population bitten by a West Nile virus-infected mosquito will become
visibly sick.
""Though younger people can become affected they are less likely to develop serious illness,"" he said. ""In fact, young people are more likely ... to have an infection with little or no symptoms at all.""
Johnson added that such an illness has beneficial results.
""Once you've had that type of infection you have long term immunity,"" he said. ""It's just like most other viral illnesses.""
Symptoms of the West Nile Virus are similar to the flu and include headaches, fever, muscle pains, skin rashes and swollen lymph nodes.
