AUGUSTA, Maine — A Cumberland County resident who recently traveled to several mid-Atlantic states has been diagnosed with West Nile virus.
The individual became ill early this month and was hospitalized before returning home, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday.
The case is the second ever diagnosed in a Maine resident, with the previous case occurring in 2012.
“The warm weather of the last few weeks has allowed mosquitoes to stay active,” Dr. Siiri Bennett, Maine’s state epidemiologist, said in the release. “Mainers should remember to take precautions against being bitten.”
West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis, or EEE, are viruses transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, which picks up the virus from infected wild birds, according to the Maine CDC. The virus cannot be transmitted from human to human or animal to human.
The risk for being bitten by a mosquito is greatest from dusk to dawn and when temperatures are above 50 degrees (and especially above 60 degrees). These are the conditions when mosquitoes are most actively biting.
In addition to the West Nile virus case, a single mosquito pool in York County tested positive for EEE on Friday. This is the first positive test for EEE in a Maine mosquito pool of the season, which is later than in recent years.
Steps to protect yourself from EEE and WNV include:
— Wearing long sleeves and long pants.
— Using an EPA-approved repellent on skin and clothes — always follow the instructions on the label.
— Taking extra precautions at dusk and dawn.
— Using screens on your windows and doors.
— Draining artificial sources of standing water where you live, work and play.
The Maine CDC will continue to post weekly updates on mosquito-borne disease surveillance in Maine through mid-October at www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/vector-borne/arboviral-surveillance.shtml.