Suffolk: Huntington Town resident tested positive for West Nile virus

A Huntington Town resident has tested positive for the West Nile virus, becoming the first human case reported this season, Suffolk County health officials said Friday.

The resident, who was not been identified and is over the age of 50, fell ill in August with symptoms consistent with the disease, health Commissioner Dr. Gregson Pigott said in a statement. The victim has since recovered, Pigott said.

The virus is transmitted to humans from mosquito bites and can cause severe symptoms such as muscle weakness, vision loss and neurological problems, which in some people are permanent. Mosquito season starts June 1 and ends Nov. 1.

"We know only about the cases in which the patient sought treatment and we received laboratory confirmation of West Nile virus," Pigott said in a statement. "There may be many more residents who acquired West Nile virus, but we never learned about them because they didn’t seek medical attention or they sought attention but lab tests weren’t ordered."

Suffolk County reported five people tested positive for the virus in 2020, along with three in 2019, and 11 in 2018, health officials said. Two deaths from West Nile were reported in 2017, and three in 2010, health officials said.

People ages 50 and older or with compromised immune systems can get severely sick, while most people who contract the virus have mild or no symptoms, the county Health Department said.

Suffolk health officials said residents can report mosquito problems or stagnant pools of water by calling the county's vector control division at 631-852-4270.