Man Contracts West Nile Virus

A man whose wife was diagnosed last fall with West Nile virus has come down with the mosquito-borne disease himself, state health officials said. The 41-year-old Pennsauken man, whose name was not released, was the ninth New Jerseyan diagnosed with West Nile this season. State epidemiologist Eddy Bresnitz said it was first time he had heard of family members becoming infected.

Like his 38-year-old wife, the patient fell ill in late August, reporting symptoms including muscle and joint aches and fatigue. He was treated for possible Lyme disease, but did not require hospitalization.

The man's wife told health officials about his illness after she was diagnosed. Blood samples confirmed the virus in both.

New Jersey had one reported death from West Nile virus last year, a 45-year-old Carteret man who died Oct. 4. The virus also was detected in 1,073 crows, 30 horses and more than 350 mosquito pools in the state.

Because cold weather has set in, the risk of being bitten by a virus-carrying mosquito is very low, Bresnitz said.

"There could be a warm day where they would respond to the heat and the light," he said. "But overall, you won't see a lot of mosquitoes out right now."

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Author: 6-ABC-AP