First West Nile case of the year reported among New Haven County residents

NEW HAVEN, CT (WFSB) – The first human case of West Nile virus this year has been reported in a New Haven County resident, according to state health officials.

The Connecticut Health Department announced the infection on Friday.

Last year, seven cases of West Nile infection were reported in the state.

The woman is a New Haven County resident and is between 60 and 69 years old. The DPH said she became ill in the first week of August and has since recovered. Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of antibodies to the virus.

“The first report of a human case of WNV this season, along with the continued discovery of WNV-infected and Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE)-infected mosquitoes in Connecticut and neighboring states, makes this an important time for healthcare providers to maintain a high index of suspicion for WNV and EEE,” said DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD. “Symptoms include fever, headache, myalgia, arthralgia, rash, or gastrointestinal symptoms for non-neuroinvasive disease, while neuroinvasive signs and symptoms may include high fever, headache, stiff neck, and decreased consciousness.”

“As part of our statewide surveillance program, we continue to detect high numbers of mosquitoes transmitting West Nile virus in Connecticut. This is the critical time of summer when virus activity in the mosquito population peaks,” added Philip Armstrong, ScD, medical entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.

West Nile virus has been detected in Connecticut every year since 1999 and is the most common mosquito-borne disease in the United States.

According to the DPH, most people infected with the virus do not develop symptoms. About one in five infected people develop West Nile fever, an illness that includes fever and other symptoms such as body aches, joint pain, headache or rash. About one in 150 infected people develop severe central nervous system disease. About one in 10 cases of severe illness is fatal. People over 60 are most at risk for severe illness.

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