HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Waterbury resident in their 40s has become the first person in Connecticut diagnosed with West Nile virus this summer, according to the state Department of Public Health.
The patient became ill during the second week of July with mosquito-borne illness and may have been exposed to the virus in Newington or Wethersfield, the department said Monday.
Laboratory tests on the patient, who is recovering, confirmed the presence of antibodies to West Nile, the department said.
West Nile is the most prevalent mosquito-borne disease in the United States and has been detected in Connecticut every year since 1999.
About one in every 10 people who are infected develop an illness that includes a fever and other symptoms such as body aches, joint pain, headache or a rash.
There have been a total of 159 West Nile cases in humans in Connecticut and four that have resulted in deaths.
Last year, West Nile was found in 82 mosquitos from 23 cities and towns, but just one human case was reported.
