First 2014 Minnesota West Nile virus case confirmed

The Minnesota Department of Health is reporting the first confirmed human case this year of West Nile virus. Public health officials say the risk for contracting West Nile virus appears to be much lower this year.

A Pope County woman came down with West Nile fever, a less severe illness associated with the virus, on Aug. 2. She recovered without hospitalization.

West Nile Virus has been found in Minnesota every year since its arrival in the state in 2002. Last year there were 79 cases of West Nile virus in people in Minnesota, which included three deaths. In 2011, the agency documented just two confirmed cases of the virus -- the lowest number since the virus was first found in the state.

Dave Neitzel, an epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health, said the virus was spreading more slowly this year largely because of the weather.

"Years where we have really quick warm up in the spring and it stays really warm throughout the summer, those are years where that warm weather allows the virus to grow more quickly in mosquitoes," Neitzel said. "Cooler years, like the one we're experiencing now, cooler than normal summers, that seems to slow down that growth of the virus."

The virus' most active season is between mid-July and mid-September, and many of the mosquitoes that can carry the virus are still active during dawn and dusk. Neitzel said people can limit their exposure to mosquitoes by wearing insect repellent, long-sleeved shirts and long pants.