Editor’s Note: The West Virginia DHHR said there is “no indication of organ or blood transactions in West Virginia from the West Virginia Electronic Disease Surveillance System (WVEDSS) or CDC ArboNET records.

The CDC originally reported that one case of West Nile Virus was found in Hardy County, West Virginia, and that case was classified as a “resumptive viremic blood donor.” The CDC updated its data on Aug. 22, two days after this story was published.

The current data reflects one human disease case and zero presumptive viremic blood donors. The Hardy County case was not associated with any kind of blood donation, according to the CDC. The story below has been updated to reflect these changes.

HARDY COUNTY, WV (WOWK) – West Virginia has reported its first case of West Nile Virus for 2023, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The case was found in Hardy County.

West Virginia is among 27 states that have reported cases of the West Nile Virus. In total, there are 190 cases countrywide so far for this year as of August 15, according to the CDC.

The disease is most commonly spread through the bite of an infected mosquito, which picks it up through feeding on an infected bird. It can be then be transmitted to both humans and animals.

Most people don’t develop symptoms, according to the CDC. However, about one in five people develop a fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, and vomiting, and about one in 150 people develop a severe illness that affects the central nervous system.

Back in 2021, the West Nile Virus was reported in mosquitos in Cabell County.

For more information on the disease, you can visit CDC’s website.