OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Health officials say two people in Washington state have contracted West Nile virus.
The infections are the first human cases since 2010. State officials said Friday that a Pierce County woman in her 70s was likely exposed to the virus while traveling out of state, but a Yakima man in his 30s hadn't left the state.
Their test results were confirmed at the Washington State Public Health Laboratories this week.
Last year, five mosquito samples tested positive, but there were no human or horse cases, and no dead bird detections. In 2010, there were two human cases in Washington, as well as detections in two dead birds and more than 100 mosquito samples. There were 38 human cases of West Nile virus in 2009 in Washington state, including the only known death from the disease in the state.
