Two people have died from the West Nile virus in New Jersey, increasing the total number of documented deaths in the United States to five.
Two people in New Jersey have died from the West Nile virus, state health authorities announced Friday, increasing the total number of documented deaths in the United States to five this mosquito season.
According to health officials, two people in eastern Wisconsin and one in northeastern Illinois died from the West Nile virus. A third individual in Wisconsin has been hospitalized as a result of the mosquito-borne sickness, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced Thursday. The instances in Wisconsin involve citizens from Outagamie, Fond du Lac, and Brown counties.
Three persons in Lake County, Illinois, tested positive for the virus in the previous seven days, according to the Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center on Thursday. One of the victims developed symptoms in mid-August and died soon after.
“Sadly, Illinois is reporting our first death of the year attributed to the West Nile virus,” stated IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra in a statement. “This death—and the six that occurred last year in Illinois—are a stark reminder that West Nile virus poses a serious risk, especially to older people and those with weakened immune systems.”
The West Nile virus is frequently transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 289 cases of West Nile have been documented in 33 states as of 2024. According to the CDC, cases of West Nile virus occur during mosquito season, which begins in the summer and lasts into the fall.
Dr. Anthony Fauci recently confirmed that he was recuperating from the West Nile virus. The former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who oversaw the federal response to the coronavirus outbreak, told CBS News that he was likely bitten by a mosquito while on his lawn. Fauci stated that he was hospitalized after feeling poorly and experiencing fever, chills, and indications of acute exhaustion.
According to the CDC, while most people may not have symptoms, around one in every five may get a fever, headache, body pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. Approximately one out of every 150 infected persons develops a severe, often deadly disease. According to the CDC, there are no immunizations to prevent West Nile virus or treatments for its symptoms.
Every year, Wisconsin reports an average of 18 cases of West Nile virus, and the virus has been found this year in mosquitoes, animals, and healthy blood donors whose blood tested positive for the virus, according to the state.
The West Nile virus was first detected in the United States in 1999, in New York. It expanded progressively throughout the country.
