Page 1 of 2 More West Nile activity expected this summer. Residents of the Northeastern U.S. should be preparing for potential outbreaks of encephalitis caused by the West Nile virus, said an official from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.
Mosquitoes transmit the virus to humans and animals while biting to take blood.
Local, state and federal monitoring indicates that there will be some activity this summer. The virus was found in hibernating mosquitoes in the New York area last winter, and in May several dead crows in New Jersey were found to be infected with the virus. The virus, which had never been seen in the U.S. before, caused encephalitis in 62 people last year, mostly in the New York City area. As a result, seven people died. Health officials in New York City recently found the virus in the blood of a chicken.