SAINT PAUL, Minn. — The Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced the state's first deaths from the West Nile Virus this year.
Two men, one in his 70s, and the other in his 50s, passed away this month. Both had underlying conditions, according to health officials. A woman in her 80s is also currently hospitalized with the virus.
Health officials say these cases were contracted in July in northeastern Wisconsin, in Outagamie, Fond du Lac and Brown counties. But they add that the virus is also in other parts of the state.
Symptoms can be as mild as a fever, or as severe as tremors and memory loss.
Wisconsin health officials say about 80% of people infected won't know they have it. Disease experts say the West Nile season in Minnesota is fairly mild this year.
"At this point, we have reported three cases of West Nile in Minnesota and we have a few more that we are currently investigating,” Minnesota Department of Health Epidemiologist Supervisor Elizabeth Schiffman said.
MDH says one of the confirmed cases this year was fatal. However, the three confirmed cases of West Nile this season are significantly lower than the 63 confirmed cases in Minnesota last year.
The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD) said health officials will likely confirm additional cases by the end of the season.
"This is always the busiest time of the year for West Nile infections,” MMCD Vector Ecologist Kirk Johnson said.
MMCD lab teams are monitoring samples for West Niles Virus, along with other mosquito-borne illnesses.
"Eastern Equine Encephalitis, also known as EEE, is a mosquito-borne illness that we tend to see in the coastal states," Johnson said, adding there has never been a confirmed human case of EEE in Minnesota.
Health officials say a man in New Hampshire recently died after contracting EEE.
Johnson said a case of EEE was also confirmed in Green Bay Wisconsin this summer.
"It is of concern to us because it is one of the more dangerous viruses in North America. It has a case fatality rate of over 30%,” Johnson said.
Some areas in South America are also seeing more cases of the Oropouche Virus this year. Local experts say it's another virus we haven't seen here in Minnesota. Only a handful of cases of the Oropouche Virus have been reported in the United States.
"It's something we're keeping an eye out for, not something I would say Minnesotans need to worry a lot about just yet,” Schiffman said.
Both MDH and MMCD are recommending bug spray for anyone who plans to spend a significant amount of time outdoors over the next few weeks with the state in the middle of peak West Nile season.