West Nile Virus Hits Grand Forks; First Confirmed North Dakota Case Found

The West Nile virus has been found in Grand Forks.

Grand Forks Mosquito Control found the virus in two pools of mosquitoes.

They are now urging people to take extra precautions to avoid being bitten by the bugs.

Limit outdoor activities between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.

You can also use a bug repellent that has DEET.

If a person is infected, symptoms might not show up for two weeks and include fever, body aches and swollen lymph nodes.

Only 1 percent of people come down with more serious complications including encephalitis and it may be fatal.

North Dakota has its first confirmed human West Nile virus case of the year.

The state Health Department says a McLean County woman in her 40s has been affected.

She has not been hospitalized.

McLean is in the central part of the state.

In 2014, 23 people tested positive for West Nile. Of those 23, eight were hospitalized and one died.