Two more cases of West Nile virus reported in Suffolk, officials say

Two Suffolk County residents have tested positive for the West Nile virus, bringing the county total to seven, with one remaining hospitalized, the Suffolk health department announced Monday.

The seventh person, a Brookhaven Town resident, whose gender was not identified, remains hospitalized after getting sick in late October, department officials said in a news release. The sixth person, a Southold Town resident identified as over the age of 50, has "almost fully recovered at home" after getting hospitalized in mid-October, officials said.

To date, health officials have reported two West Nile virus cases in Huntington Town, two in Babylon Town, and one in Brookhaven Town. In Huntington, the residents were over the age of 50, while the others are under 50.

In Suffolk County, health officials have reported five human cases in 2020, three in 2019 and 11 in 2018.

While mosquito season ends Nov. 1 after starting June 1, county health commissioner Dr. Gregson Pigott said in a statement on Monday "now is a perfect time for Suffolk County residents to repair screens, clean yards, and make solid plans to reduce the number areas where mosquitoes can breed around their homes in order to avoid being bitten and contracting [a] mosquito-borne illness."

Nassau County has had four West Nile virus cases as of Oct. 1, a county health official has previously said.

Though the West Nile virus is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito, most people don’t develop symptoms. Some mild symptoms include headache, body aches, fever, a skin rash and swollen lymph glands, while severe symptoms include disorientation, tremors, high fever, muscle weakness and paralysis.

People who are most at risk for severe infection include those over 50 years of age or those with chronic illness or compromised immune systems, health officials said. West Nile virus can be fatal, the release said, adding that two deaths were reported in 2017.