Five Coloradans have died from the West Nile virus, and 74 cases have now been confirmed scattered throughout the state.

The counties where people contracted the virus and died are Weld, Pueblo, Boulder, Jefferson County and La Plata, confirming that the mosquitoes that carry the virus are not gathering in a particular area.

The Boulder County Health Department on Tuesday morning reported that a West Nile virus death in the county was a Longmont resident, who died from meningoencephalitis, which happens when there is inflammation or infection of the meninges (spinal and cranial membranes) and brain at the same time.

The Longmont patient contracted the virus from an infected mosquito, which then caused the meningoencephalitis.

“The increase in Culex mosquitoes is astonishing,” said Shawn Hollister, a spokesman for Boulder County Health. 

The Culex is the species which is the most likely to transfer the West Nile virus. 

Colorado’s fifth death, coupled with the fact that 43 people have been hospitalized from the virus this season, has public health officials warning folks to take mosquitoes seriously.

“This is a sharp increase from what we saw last week and it is more cases than what we normally see this time of year,” said Annemarie Harper, Communications Director for the Colorado Department of Health and Environment’s Disease Control and Public Health Response.

On average, Colorado would normally have seen less than 10 cases by this point in the year.

Lane Drager, Boulder County Public Health Consumer Protection Program Coordinator, recommended that Coloradans should take precautions, including “eliminating any standing water around your home, avoiding being outdoors at dusk and dawn when mosquitos are most active and wearing insect repellant containing DEET and long sleeves and pants when outside after dusk.”

This year, during which Colorado saw one of its wettest spring and summer months on record, entomologists and public health officials have been holding their breath as the West Nile virus numbers steadily creep upward. The state’s first death from the virus occurred in Weld County earlier this month.

The county with the most cases so far is Larimer with 14. Weld has 13 and Denver and El Paso counties have reported seven each. The average age of Coloradans who have been affected by the virus is 55, with the ages of those affected ranging from 90 to seven, according to the health department.

Most people that end up getting infected with West Nile virus via a mosquito bite don’t end up showing symptoms, though some can ultimately develop an illness with deadly potential. Last year, 20 people were killed by West Nile virus in Colorado among 206 reported cases. People aged 60 and older are at greater risk, as well as those with certain health conditions, including cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, and people who have received organ transplants.