--- title: Health Officials Warn of Mosquitoes Carrying West Nile Virus description: Health officials in New York, New Jersey, and Texas announced this week that mosquitoes in the areas have tested positive for the virus. canonical: https://time.com/7002849/west-nile-virus-warnings-us/ author: Chantelle Lee article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-07-24T18:56:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T18:00:53.786Z article:section: Health og:title: U.S. Health Officials Warn of West Nile Virus og:description: Local health officials in three states said this week that mosquitoes in the areas have tested positive for the virus. og:url: https://time.com/7002849/west-nile-virus-warnings-us/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltffa8bf05aa58de6f/698a593116d88485edc3ee7b/Mosquito-West-Nile-Virus.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: FRANCE-ANIMAL-INSECT-MOSQUITO og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: U.S. Health Officials Warn of West Nile Virus twitter:description: Local health officials in three states said this week that mosquitoes in the areas have tested positive for the virus. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltffa8bf05aa58de6f/698a593116d88485edc3ee7b/Mosquito-West-Nile-Virus.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # U.S. Health Departments Warn About Mosquitoes Testing Positive for West Nile Virus > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Jul 24, 2024 6:56 PM UTC  This close-up photograph shows a mosquito on human skin in Montlouis-sur-Loire, France, on Oct. 21, 2022. This close-up photograph shows a mosquito on human skin in Montlouis-sur-Loire, France, on Oct. 21, 2022. Guillaume Souvant—AFP/Getty Images by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Jul 24, 2024 6:56 PM UTC Several local health departments in the U.S. warned residents this week that officials have detected mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus in states across the country. In New York, Suffolk County [announced](https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/News/ArtMID/583/ArticleID/12174) Monday that 16 mosquito samples have tested positive for the virus, which can sometimes be life-threatening, bringing the total number of mosquito samples testing positive for the virus so far this season to 32\. In New Jersey, Cape May County health officials [said](https://capemaycountynj.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1490) Monday that they’ve detected seven positive West Nile virus collections during the months of June and July. Denton County Public Health (DCPH) in Texas also [said](https://www.dentoncounty.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1302) Monday that five mosquito traps in unincorporated Denton County tested positive for West Nile virus, adding that the areas would be fogged three times over the following days. The next day, DCPH [reported](https://www.dentoncounty.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1303) the first 2024 human case of West Nile virus in the county; that patient was diagnosed with a serious form of the virus, called West Nile Virus Neuroinvasive Disease, which can [lead to death or long-term disability](https://www.hhs.gov/climate-change-health-equity-environmental-justice/climate-change-health-equity/climate-health-outlook/west-nile/index.html). “We’re seeing more positive mosquito traps in the last few weeks indicating increasing risk for contracting West Nile Virus, just as we’ve seen in our first human case of the summer,” DCPH Assistant Director and Chief Epidemiologist Juan Rodriguez said in a press release on Tuesday. “We ask community members to take preventive actions to lower their risk of contracting a mosquito-borne illness.” All three local health departments advised residents to take steps to protect themselves, such as minimizing time outdoors between dusk and dawn, using mosquito repellent, draining standing water on your property to reduce mosquito breeding sites, and wearing long-sleeved shirts or long pants when mosquitoes are active. “The confirmation of West Nile virus in mosquito samples indicates the presence of West Nile virus in the area,” Suffolk County Health Commissioner Gregson Pigott said in a press release. “While there is no cause for alarm, we advise residents to cooperate with us in our efforts to reduce exposure to West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne diseases.” **Read More:** [_The Scents and Colors Mosquitoes Are Drawn to_](https://time.com/6989548/mosquitoes-attracted-to-scents-colors-research/) West Nile virus is the most common mosquito-borne disease in the U.S., according to the [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services](https://www.hhs.gov/climate-change-health-equity-environmental-justice/climate-change-health-equity/climate-health-outlook/west-nile/index.html) (HHS). If a mosquito carrying the virus bites a human, that person can become infected with the virus. About 80% of people infected with West Nile virus won’t have any symptoms, but about 20% may develop a fever and other flu-like symptoms, according to the HHS. Less than 1% of people develop severe West Nile Virus Neuroinvasive Disease, according to the HHS. So far this year, 24 cases of West Nile virus have resulted in neuroinvasive disease in the U.S., according to the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention](https://www.cdc.gov/west-nile-virus/data-maps/current-year-data.html) (CDC). So far this year, 45 human cases of West Nile virus have been reported in 19 states, according to data from the CDC. This is lower than the 422 cases that were reported from January to July of 2023, according to [CDC data](https://www.cdc.gov/west-nile-virus/data-maps/historic-data.html). Cases of West Nile virus usually start to increase in July, peak in August, and remain high in September, CDC data shows. States with the most reported cases so far this year include Texas at 9, Nevada at 8, and Nebraska at 7, according to the CDC. Last month, the Southern Nevada Health District said that 91 mosquito pools, comprising more than 3,000 mosquitoes, [tested positive for West Nile virus](https://time.com/6987295/mosquitoes-west-nile-virus-nevada-las-vegas-record/). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7002849/west-nile-virus-warnings-us/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7002849/west-nile-virus-warnings-us/"},"headline":"U.S. Health Departments Warn About Mosquitoes Testing Positive for West Nile Virus","datePublished":"2024-07-24T18:56:02.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T18:00:53.786Z","description":"Health officials in New York, New Jersey, and Texas announced this week that mosquitoes in the areas have tested positive for West Nile virus.","url":"https://time.com/7002849/west-nile-virus-warnings-us/","keywords":["Public Health","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltffa8bf05aa58de6f/698a593116d88485edc3ee7b/Mosquito-West-Nile-Virus.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chantelle Lee","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltffa8bf05aa58de6f/698a593116d88485edc3ee7b/Mosquito-West-Nile-Virus.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"FRANCE-ANIMAL-INSECT-MOSQUITO","caption":"FRANCE-ANIMAL-INSECT-MOSQUITO","creditText":"Guillaume Souvant—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/public-health/","name":"Public Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7002849/west-nile-virus-warnings-us/","name":"U.S. Health Departments Warn About Mosquitoes Testing Positive for West Nile Virus"}}]}] ```