A New Yorker has contracted the potentially dangerous West Nile virus — the first reported human case in the city this year, health officials revealed Wednesday.

The unidentified city dweller fell ill with the mosquito-borne disease after spending time outdoors around the city, and in several locations outside the Big Apple, health department officials said.

New York City’s first case of West Nile virus in 2026 has officially been detected, the health department confirmed. Stephen Yang for NY Post

A transmission electron micrograph shows West Nile virus particles (teal) replicating within the cytoplasm of an infected VERO E6 cell. BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The diagnosis comes as 222 human cases of West Nile virus nationally have been reported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, largely in Arizona, California and Texas.

Mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus have been detected in all five boroughs since June – and, alarmingly, within nearly twice as many samples as last summer, officials have said.

A Culex pipien mosquito specimen — the type of mosquito that carries the West Nile virus. TNS

“The good news is it’s preventable,” said Alister Martin, the city’s health commissioner, in a statement. “With mosquito season in full swing, we’re encouraging New Yorkers to take extra precautions to minimize the risk of mosquito bites.

“The steps to protect yourself are simple: wear insect repellent, cover up during dawn and dusk, and get rid of standing water around your home.”

The West Nile virus first arrived in New York City during 1999 – and has since infected dozens of people every year.

Last year, 18 human cases of West Nile illness were reported in the city, health department records show. 

An average of 31 people every year fall ill with West Nile within New York City, officials said.

Most people infected by the disease never experience symptoms, but roughly one in five are unlucky enough to develop a mild illness that can include fever, rash, headache, body ache, nausea and vomiting.

Roughly one in every 150 people can develop West Nile neuroinvasive disease, a serious and potential brain and spinal cord illness, officials said.