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Camden Co. man hospitalized with West Nile

A Camden County man has been hospitalized with West Nile virus, the second case confirmed in New Jersey so far this year.

Camden officials said the 68-year-old man was admitted to Cooper University Hospital on Aug. 12; laboratory tests confirmed he was suffering from West Nile.

The man remains in the hospital's intensive-care unit, county officials said today.

New Jersey officials said last week that a 55-year-old Burlington County man was the state's first West Nile victim of 2013. In Pennsylvania, human cases of West Nile have been reported in Montgomery and York counties.

The disease, which can be deadly, is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes and can cause inflammation of the brain and spinal cord lining.

"Now that we have the first confirmed case of West Nile in Camden County it is important for residents to be vigilant about dumping any and all standing water on their property," Freeholder Jeffrey Nash, liaison to the Camden County Mosquito Commission, said in a statement. "As a community we need to work together with our neighbors to make sure no one is providing fertile grounds for mosquito breeding."

People are urged to take steps that include:

- Removing cans, containers, pots or other objects that could collect standing water
- Checking swimming pools regularly for mosquitoes and adding chlorine
- Turning wading pools and wheelbarrows upside down when not using them
- Having roof gutters cleaned
- Not letting water stagnate in bird baths
- Cleaning swimming pools, and removing standing water from pool covers

Additional protection methods include using screen doors and windows, using insect nets on strollers and wearing long sleeves and pants.

Last year, there were 48 confirmed human cases of West Nile in New Jersey and six deaths, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Pennsylvania, there were 60 cases and four deaths.