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Rare Hospitalization In First Human Case Of West Nile In PA For 2024

The first person to test positive for the West Nile virus in Pennsylvania in 2024 has been hospitalized, officials announced on Tuesday, July 16. 

The first person to test positive for West Nile virus in Pennsylvania in 2024 has been hospitalized, officials say. 

The first person to test positive for West Nile virus in Pennsylvania in 2024 has been hospitalized, officials say. 

Photo Credit: Pixabay/FotoshopTofs @fotoshoptofs-2171839

The person who tested positive lives in the Baldwin Borough area and frequently was outdoors prior to their infection, according to the release by the Allegheny County Health Department.

The person suffered from a fever, weakness, and was hospitalized, as detailed in the release. No further information about them will be shared in order to protect their privacy, officials explained. 

Approximately 70 to 80 percent of people who become infected with West Nile virus do not develop symptoms and most people with symptoms recover on their own — and do not require hospitalization, according to the CDC.

Those symptoms include: 

  • Fever.

  • Headache.

  • Body aches.

  • Joint pains.

  • Vomiting.

  • Diarrhea.

  • Rash.

You can protect yourself from West Nile virus "by removing standing water in yards, making sure that open windows and doors have screens, and using insect repellent on exposed skin, especially at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active," the county officials stated in the release. 

Complaints regarding properties with stagnant water can be reported by clicking here.   

You can learn more about West Nile virus in Pennsylvania by clicking here.

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