By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – TWest Nile virus is on the rise in southern Arizona.
22 cases have been reported in Pima County this year, and Santa Cruz County has reported its first probable case Tuesday.
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Cases highest since 2021
West Nile cases are the highest they’ve been since 2021 in Pima County, and health officials said they only expect that number to go up.
While the majority of people infected don’t get sick, those who do can experience severe symptoms.
Michele Edwards said she began feeling shaky several weeks ago, but didn’t have any symptoms otherwise. She was taken to the hospital by her daughter, but said after getting in the car, she didn’t remember much.
“I remember getting in the car, I remember I smoked a cigarette, and then I took a cigarette and a lighter and put it in my backpack, and that’s all I remember,” Edwards said.
Diagnosed with meningitis
Edwards spent the next nine days in the hospital in what her daughter described as a “catatonic” state. On the seventh day, she was diagnosed with meningitis and West Nile virus after receiving a spinal tap.
“It was scary because I didn’t know, you know, if she was going to get better, if it was going to get better, if it was going to get worse, if she was going to stay that way, what was going to happen,” said Michele Edwards’ daughter Stephanie.
Edwards is one of 21 cases Pima County has recorded this year, the most the county has had since 2021.
Ellen Santos with the Pima County Health Department said it may be because of increased monsoon rains.
“There could definitely be some climate and weather pattern things that are happening…increased rainfall certainly; we’ve had a pretty decent monsoon season, so more mosquitoes around to be able to transmit,” Santos said.
Standing water a breeding ground
That’s why Santos said it’s important to remove standing water around properties, including from dog bowls and plant saucers.
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The Edwards said they’ve always been good about doing that, but now they’re taking extra precautions.
“When I come out in the morning, this is the first thing I do,” Michele Edwards said, referencing the can of bug spray she now keeps on the table.
After her hospital stay, Edwards said she spent another two weeks in physical therapy as she works to regain her balance and memory. The health department said 80% of people infected with West Nile virus are asymptomatic, but for some cases, like Edwards’, the infection can cause neurological changes or even death.
“You don’t know. It could happen to anybody at any time, and that’s probably the scariest part of it all,” Stephanie Edwards said.
Spreading awareness
That’s why the Edwards family is spreading awareness about what happened while trying to return to their old routine, this time armed with bug spray.
“I came out, and I’m like, ah, I don’t feel like spraying…so I sat here and boom, just like that, so Don lit the coil, and I sprayed,” Michele Edwards said.
The health department says anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms, such as a high fever or severe headache, after spending time outside recently should see a doctor. Other symptoms include body aches, joint pain, vomiting, nausea, and fatigue.
Additional information about West Nile Virus and mosquitoes can be found on the Pima County Health Department’s website.
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