Rhode Island Reports First Human West Nile Virus Case of 2026 in Washington County Resident
The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) on Thursday announced the state's first human case of West Nile virus in 2026, in a joint statement with the Department of Environmental Management.
The patient is a Washington County resident in their 60s who developed symptoms in early September. The person has been recovering in the hospital and is expected to be released soon. The positive test was confirmed last week at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to the health department, the individual had a history of travel to an area with active West Nile virus transmission, and based on the travel history the infection was likely acquired outside of Rhode Island.
Officials said the statewide risk level for West Nile virus is now low because mosquito populations are seasonally low, and mosquito trapping and testing have ended for the 2026 season. However, a low risk remains until the entire state experiences a true hard frost — defined as three consecutive hours below 32 degrees — which kills adult mosquitoes.
West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States. Most people infected do not feel sick; about one in five develop fever and other symptoms, and about one in 150 develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness. There are no vaccines or medications to treat it. The state has reported no human or mosquito findings of Eastern equine encephalitis this year.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
