City Confirms First Human Case of West Nile Virus This Year

NEW YORK CITY, NY — The first human case of West Nile virus has been confirmed in a Manhattan man, the earliest in a year it's been found in a person since the city started to track it in 1999, the Department of Health announced Friday.

Typically, the first confirmed human case of the virus happens between July and October, but the man was hospitalized for inflammation of the brain caused by West Nile earlier this month, officials said. The patient, who's more than 50 years old, has since been discharged.

Aside from the first human case, the Health Department also confirmed they found the first batch of mosquitoes to carry the disease in the city this year.

"The findings from our mosquito surveillance and the early West Nile virus case serve as vital reminders that mosquito season is here and that all New Yorkers should take precautions to protect themselves and their families from mosquito bites," Dr. Mary Bassett, the commissioner of the Health Department, said in a statement.

The announcement comes just as the city started to spray larvicide at spots in Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island to reduce mosquito populations.

West Nile virus was first detected in the city in 1999 and 259 people have contracted diseases from it since, with 38 people dying, according to the Department of Health.

Generally, the city sees between three to 47 human cases of it a year and 40 to 827 mosquito pools carrying the virus.

Infection from the West Nile can cause flu-like symptoms in people with patients 50 and older facing the most risk, the Department of Health said.

While 80 percent of the people infected have no symptoms, headaches, fevers, muscle aches and extreme fatigue are most common. Severe cases can lead to changes in mental status, muscle weakness and potentially fatal infections to the brain and spinal cord.

The Department of Health suggests New Yorkers wear insect repellent with specific ingredients throughout the summer to reduce risks of mosquito bites and clearing standing water from properties, cleaning roof gutters and making sure windows have screens on them.

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