According to the Florida Department of Health, a total of 33 human cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) illness was acquired in Florida in 2018 and Duval County in northeast part of the state accounted for 36 percent of the cases.

Image/CDC
Image/CDC

Health officials report 12 cases in Duval County, much more than any other county. Other counties reporting cases include Bay (4), Charlotte (1), Clay (2), Escambia (1), Leon (4), Manatee (1), Nassau (4),  Putnam (1), Suwannee (1), Taylor (1), and Washington (1) counties.

In addition to the human WNV cases, Florida saw WNV in three blood donors, thirteen horses, one zebra, one red-shouldered hawk, five crows, 31 mosquito pools, and 814 sentinel chickens have been reported from 40 counties through Dec. 29.

As of December 11, 2018, 2,475 cases of West Nile virus disease in people have been reported to CDC, including 124 fatalities. Nebraska reported the most human cases with 241.

West Nile virus (WNV) is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States.  It is most commonly spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito.

Fortunately, most people infected with WNV do not feel sick. About 1 in 5 people who are infected develop a fever and other symptoms. About 1 out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.