State health officials attribute to Arizona's warmer winters and earlier mosquito season for the West Nile Virus' premature occurrence.
West Nile Virus' main route of human infection is through the bite of an infected mosquito. Symptoms of this virus include fever, headache, body aches, skin rash or swollen lymph glands.
If West Nile virus enters the brain, however, it can be deadly. It may cause inflammation of the brain, called encephalitis, or inflammation of the tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, called meningitis.
Last year, Maricopa County reported 68 human cases of West Nile Virus, resulting in four deaths.
Health officials recommends that residents should mosquito-proof their homes and remove all stagnant water on their property.
