Laurence Dollimore
THE West Nile virus has claimed another victim after spreading from Sevilla to Cadiz.
An 87-year-old woman died after being admitted to the Hospital Puerto Real, the Junta reports.
Cadiz, which neighbours Malaga, now has a total of five cases of the mosquito-borne virus, with three of them in hospital.
With the 24 current cases in Sevilla it brings the total to 29. Meanwhile a total of four people have died.
Until last week the disease had only appeared in Cadiz in two dead birds which died at the Jerez de la Frontera zoo.
Two horses, one in Jerez and another in Puerto Real, were also found to be carrying the virus.
On Friday last week it was detected in three people who were admitted to the Puerto Real hospital before a fourth was confirmed on Saturday.
The Junta has carried out epidemiological surveys in a bid to identify the affected towns and carry out fumigation.
Two areas are believed to be at the most risk in Cadiz; one in Puerto Real and another in between the triangle formed by Alcala de los Gazules, Benalup-Casas Viejas and Medina Sidonia, as well as the areas bordering Vejer, Conil and Barbate.
The West Nile virus cannot be transmitted from human to human contact and is asymptomatic in 80% of carriers.
It can prove fatal in people with weakened immune systems, such as the elderly, by causing meningitis in the brain.
Symptoms can include a fever, headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, convulsions and muscle weakness.
