City and County of Broomfield Public Information Office
One DesCombes Drive · Broomfield, CO 80020 · (303) 438-6308

Media Release

September 26, 2002

Media Contact:

Rosann Doran
Public Information Officer
303.438.6308

Tracy Volkman
Environmental Health Specialist
720.887.2237

West Nile Virus confirmed in Colorado residents

Media reports recently have told of a Commerce City man and individuals in Weld and Prowers counties who have tested positive for the West Nile virus. John Pickle, Broomfield’s Public Health Officer, has noted that these are the first human cases of West Nile virus to be identified in Colorado.

Over 151 people have been tested by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s laboratory with results confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention laboratory in Fort Collins, Pickle said.

Pickle has indicated that most people who get West Nile virus won’t become ill. Most others will experience only slight symptoms. Only a very few will become seriously ill, he said.

Pickle said Broomfield will join other Colorado counties and communities to start planning now for mosquito control efforts for the coming season. Spraying programs and other mosquito control efforts need to be weighed against the risk of human cases, which will be inevitable next year, Pickle said.

Pickle also cautions that it is particularly important to continue to put West Nile Virus infection in perspective. He pointed out that many more citizens are at risk for illness and death from influenza, which is preventable through immunization, than they are from this virus.

Pickle pointed out that the risk of exposure to West Nile virus is extremely low and Colorado’s mosquito season will end soon as daylight and temperatures decrease and mosquitoes prepare to hibernate for winter.

Pickle called on all Broomfield residents to follow some sensible precautions. Avoid mosquitoes at dawn and dusk when the insects are most active, use insect repellant that contains DEET when outdoors, wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts, install or repair window screens to keep insects out, and remove all standing water in ponds, ditches, gutters, flower pots, tires and cans since they can quickly become mosquito breeding areas.

West Nile virus was first detected in Colorado in mid-August when two horses and a crow from Weld County and one horse from Pueblo County tested positive for the disease. Since that time, 164 horses, including 53 in Weld County; 20 in Pueblo County; 21 in Logan County; 14 in Otero County; and 10 in Larimer County, have tested positive for the virus. Also, 37 birds tested positive, including 10 from Weld County, six from Adams County, five each from Arapahoe and Denver counties, and three from El Paso County.