WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
The Michigan Department of Community Health has confirmed that the first human case of West Nile Virus for 2013 has been identified in St. Joseph County.
According to the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, the case involves an adult male, over the age of 50 years, from the southwest corner of St. Joseph County. The man was hospitalized with symptoms and is now recovering.
Earlier this year, a wild turkey found in Gratiot County displaying neurologic signs tested positive for WNV at Michigan State University. Since that time, six crows in the Thumb region and a cooper hawk in Wayne County have also tested positive.
The Coldwater-based health agency urges residents to remember to apply repellents during peak mosquito biting periods and drain standing water around their homes.
