A 43-year-old man has become the first person in New Jersey to contract the mosquito-borne West Nile virus, state health officials said Friday, quoted by an MSNBC.com report.
The virus, which made its first appearance in the Western Hemisphere last summer, is spread to human by the bite of an infected mosquito.
Officials withheld the name of the man, who they said was recovering at his home in Jersey City.
New Jersey State Health Department spokesman Dennis McGowan was quoted in the report as saying the man fell ill Aug. 6th and was hospitalized on Aug. 10th, when his doctor reported the symptoms to the state.
The patient went home the next day, and blood samples taken to test for the virus were sent to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials confirmed the result Friday, said MSNBC.
Earlier this week, New Jersey health officials announced another 148 infected crows and that a mosquito pool tested positive for the virus, it added.
On Friday, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said that a 61-year-old Staten Island man had become the seventh person in the city this year to test positive for the virus.
West Nile symptoms can include high fever, gastrointestinal problems, muscle ache, headache and mental confusion. In the most serious instances - usually among children, the elderly, or others with weaker immune systems - the virus can cause a deadly swelling of the brain known as encephalitis.
Since July, New York City has been conducting an aggressive insecticide spraying campaign throughout the city, said the report – Albawaba.com
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