Del. officials confirm third human West Nile Virus case of 2021

DOVER, Del. – The Delaware Division of Public Health announced on Tuesday that it has confirmed the third human case of West Nile Virus for 2021.

We’re told the 87-year-old Kent County woman indicated no travel history that could have led to transmission, meaning she contracted the virus in Delaware.

In addition to the three human cases of WNV this year, there has been one confirmed case of the virus in a Kent County horse. West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis are diseases transmitted to horses through mosquito bites. Humans can also be infected with both, but transmission requires a mosquito bite, and the virus cannot be directly transmitted between horses or between horses and people.

For more information on West Nile Virus, click here.