Kenosha County health officials announced on Wednesday, Oct. 28, that a county resident has tested positive for West Nile virus, the county's first reported human case of 2026.
Officials did not identify the resident or release the person's age, community, condition, or whether hospitalization was required. The county's Division of Public Health said the last reported human case in Kenosha County was in 2024.
Other human cases have been reported elsewhere in Wisconsin this year, and the virus has also been detected in mosquitoes and animals in other parts of the state. Officials said illness is most common in August and September, but the risk continues while mosquitoes remain active, until a hard frost.
West Nile virus spreads through the bite of an infected mosquito and does not spread directly from person to person. Most infected people do not become sick, Health Officer Richard Ferrari Traner said. Symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle aches, rash and fatigue, and fewer than 1% of infected people develop serious illness. Older adults and people with weakened immune systems face a greater risk.
Officials urged residents to use insect repellent, wear long sleeves and pants outdoors, limit exposure during evening and early morning hours, keep window and door screens in good repair, and remove standing water from flowerpots, buckets, gutters and other containers where mosquitoes can breed.
