Two Known Human Cases of West Nile Virus Reported

A Yakima man in his 30's is among the first two human cases of the West Nile virus so far this
year.  The state health department says the man was treated at the end of last
month and had not traveled out of the area.  A Pierce County woman in her 70's
is the other case and she had apparently traveled out of state before getting
sick. Both cases are the first  in Washington in 2 years and many more are
expected. In 2009, there were 38 human cases of West Nile virus infection among
Washington residents, including the only death from the disease in our state. In
2010, there were two human cases in the state, along with detections in two dead
birds and 126 mosquito samples. five mosquito samples tested positive in 2011
but there were no human or horse cases or dead bird detections. The West Nile
virus information line, 866-78-virus, and an online West Nile virus chart are
updated as conditions and detections change.