He told the board that he had just learned the illness was confirmed in a Lower Keys man, who had not left the area in months. On Monday, Sept. 24, the county Health Department confirmed another case this time a 54-year old Key West woman was stricken. But there s no need for panic. Only a small percentage of mosquitoes are affected, Fussell said. Odds of acquiring the disease are really pretty small.
Birds carry the West Nile virus.
Mosquitoes spread the illness when they bite an infected bird, then bite a human. So far 50 dead birds have been sent to labs, but results are not yet known. They were grounded Sunday and Monday, Sept. 23-24, but were up again on Tuesday, Sept. 25. Spray trucks are out in force in all Keys neighborhoods. The main thing people can do is protect themselves, he said.