SHEBOYGAN COUNTY (NBC 26) — Wisconsin has its first confirmed human case of West Nile virus.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reminds people to protect themselves from mosquito bites following the first confirmed human case this year of West Nile virus in a Sheboygan County resident.
Mosquito activity and the risk of contracting West Nile virus will remain active until the first hard frost of the year. Temperatures need to be below 28 degrees for at least four consecutive hours to ensure mosquitos are no longer active.
"This report of the first case of West Nile Virus in a person is a reminder of the continued importance of taking precautions to prevent mosquito bites and the viruses they carry as we move into the fall," said State Health Officer Paula Tran. "While West Nile virus and other viruses spread by mosquitoes pose a risk to all Wisconsinites, people who have weakened immune systems are at the greatest risk for serious illness."
Cases of West Nile virus have also been reported in three animals in Wisconsin, two horses and a bird. These animal cases were located in Trempealeau, Monroe, and Milwaukee counties.
West Nile virus is spread to humans, horses, birds, and other animals through the bite of an infected mosquito.
The virus is not spread directly from person to person, animal to animal, or animal to person.
