State has first confirmed case of West Nile virus

TACOMA – The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Washington state's first case of a human testing positive for West Nile virus, the Tacoma-Pierce County and state health departments said today.

The case involved a man in his 40s from Pierce County, who has since recovered from mild symptoms, including a rash and a fever, state Health Department spokesman Donn Moyer said.

The CDC was also testing the man's wife, who has been listed as a probable case of West Nile infection, Moyer said.

The virus, primarily a bird disease, is transmitted to humans through mosquito bites. Most infected people never get sick, but up to about 20 percent develop mostly mild flu-like symptoms. Severe symptoms, sometimes including fatal brain inflammation, are rare.

Two other Washington state residents were sickened by West Nile earlier this year after traveling to other states, Moyer said.

One came down with West Nile symptoms after traveling to Idaho and Montana; the other was sickened after traveling to Oregon and California, Moyer said.