Man dies of West Nile virus in TRNC

An 82-year-old Turkish Cypriot man died of the West Nile virus last week, according to report by the TRNC ‘health ministry’.

The man was one of three confirmed cases of the disease in the TRNC and had a chronic disease before contracting the virus. The other two have now been discharged from hospital.

The TRNC’s ‘health ministry’ said it is “continuing its efforts to prevent mosquito-borne diseases”.

“In addition to spraying efforts, mosquito species identification studies are continuing, as are efforts to raise public awareness about the precautions people should take],” they added.

They urged people to remove sources of standing water from near their homes to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.

Last week, the ministry explained that the disease “has no vaccine or drug treatment”, and had listed the disease’s symptoms.

These include headaches, flu-like symptoms, back pain, the sudden onset of high fever, fatigue and muscle weakness.

Less common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, skin rashes and excessive swelling of the lymph nodes.