Mosquitoes and ticks transfer the virus to both humans and horses, which causes swelling of the brain and in some cases death. Outbreaks have been reported in New York City, upstate NY and the New Jersey area. According the center for disease control the virus is not, I repeat is not transferred from person to person. You cannot get the West Nile Virus from touching, caring for, or kissing a person with the virus. As stated before the only known way to get the virus is to receive it from an infected mosquito or tick.
Many signs point to birds as the primary carrier of the disease.
In other words, mosquitoes and ticks obtain the disease by extracting blood from birds, the virus then incubates within the mosquito or tick and is then transferred to humans when an infected mosquito feeds on a human. At this time there is no evidence that a human can contract the virus directly from birds but as with any other dead animals, do not handle them and call your local animal control officer. According to the center for disease control the main symptoms of the virus include fever, headache, and body aches, often with skin rash and swollen lymph glands. People with weakened immune systems and persons of older age are the most likely to experience the severe form of the disease. According to a recent press release by the CDC and The National Wildlife Health Center there are a couple simple steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of contracting the West Nile Virus.