CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. — West Nile virus has been detected in Cabarrus County after two residents tested positive through routine blood donor screenings on Aug. 14 and Aug. 16.
The Cabarrus Health Alliance reported the positive cases Wednesday as part of ongoing mosquito-borne disease surveillance across the county.
The virus spreads to humans primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito, with transmission in North Carolina typically running from May through November and peaking in August and September. Health officials emphasized that West Nile virus does not spread from person to person through casual contact.
Most people infected with West Nile virus experience no symptoms. Some individuals develop mild illness including fever, nausea and rash, while severe cases can cause high fever, convulsions, paralysis, lasting neurological damage or death. Health officials urge anyone experiencing severe headaches or confusion to seek medical attention immediately.
There is no specific cure or human vaccine for West Nile virus, though protective vaccines are available for horses. Public health officials recommend using the “tip and toss” method once per week through fall to eliminate standing water in flowerpots, toys, buckets and wading pools where mosquitoes breed.
Property owners are advised to drain standing water in ditches and puddles that persist for more than four days after rain. Officials also recommend cleaning rain gutters, repairing leaky faucets, covering stored tires, installing tight screens on rain barrels and windows and changing water in bird baths, pet bowls and horse troughs at least twice weekly.
To reduce bite risks, residents should wear long sleeves and pants after dark, minimize outdoor activity during dusk and dawn and apply insect repellent containing DEET. Cabarrus County residents can pick up free mosquito dunks while supplies last at CHA Kannapolis at 300 Mooresville Rd., CHA Brown Mill at 526 Cabarrus Ave. W. in Concord, Harrisburg Town Hall at 4100 Main St., and Mount Pleasant Town Hall at 8590 Park Dr.
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