A Douglas County resident is the latest Kansan to be confirmed by state health officials as contracting the West Nile virus.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment Laboratory confirmed that a 51-year-old county resident has the virus, reporting symptoms starting on Oct. 7.

¢More information on West Nile Virus

KDHE does not make public the person’s name or gender in its tracking of West Nile cases.

The county resident brings to 90 the number of Kansans who have contracted either West Nile Virus encephalitis or meningitis or acute flaccid paralysis.

So far this year, the number of confirmed deaths is five and the number of presumptive deaths remains at two.

KDHE also reports that, from commercial labs in the state, there have been 731 people who have unverified, presumptive positive West Nile infection. That’s up from 723 reported Oct. 31.

Also this year, there have been 142 birds, 82 horses and 45 mosquito pools that have tested positive this year.

West Nile Virus is transmitted to humans when a mosquito first bites an infected bird, then bites a human.

Symptoms can include headache, low-grade fever and muscle aches. In rare cases, it can also result in serious illness that causes swelling of the brain (encephalitis) or swelling of the covering of the brain (meningitis), paralysis or death.

Officials say 1 in 150 people who have been infected will develop a more serious form of the disease.

KDHE recommends the following precautions:

• Use insect repellent containing DEET
• Limit outdoor activities during dawn or dusk, when mosquitos are most active
• Wear protective clothing when outdoors
• Eliminate stagnant pools of water
• Repair screens or areas where mosquitos might enter