Suffolk reports first West Nile case of the year in Brookhaven resident

Suffolk County on Tuesday reported its first case of West Nile virus this year in a Town of Brookhaven resident.

The Suffolk County Department of Health Services said the individual is over the age of 50 and was not hospitalized. The person had symptoms "consistent with West Nile" at the end of July, the agency said in a statement.

A review of data on both the New York State and New York City health department websites showed no other human cases of West Nile virus this year.

West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne disease that first appeared in New York in 1999. The first human case in Suffolk County was reported in 2001. There were five human cases last year and 21 in 2024. There has not been a fatal case in the county since 2017.

About 80% of people infected with West Nile virus do not experience symptoms, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, joint pain and vomiting. People over the age of 50 have a greater chance of severe complications, which include inflammation of the brain.

"This is a reminder that mosquitoes are not only a nuisance, but they can transmit serious diseases," Suffolk County Health Commissioner Dr. Gregson Pigott said in a statement.

The county tracks the virus every year by trapping mosquitoes at different locations and testing them. More than 50 mosquito samples have tested positive for the virus in Suffolk so far this year.

Nationally, there are 222 human cases reported in 2026 across 32 states, according to the CDC.

Pigott urged people to take precautions against mosquito bites. Experts say people should wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants and use insect repellents when they are outside. Window and door screens should not have rips or holes that mosquitoes can pass through. In addition, empty sources of standing water, such as flower pots and bird baths, which can serve as breeding sites.

By Lisa L. Colangelo

lisa.colangelo@newsday.com@lisalcolangelo

Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.