![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Mosquito-2-1200x800.jpg\")
A feeding female Anopheles funestus mosquito in 2014. Photo by James Gathany\/U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via AP<\/p>\nA feeding female Anopheles funestus mosquito in 2014. Photo by James Gathany\/U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via AP<\/p>\n
Vermont\u2019s Department of Health confirmed the state\u2019s first-known human case of the mosquito-borne Jamestown Canyon virus. The disease has relatively mild symptoms, especially for young people who do not have underlying health conditions.<\/p>\n
The state began monitoring mosquitoes for Jamestown Canyon Virus<\/a> this year, after it was found in nearby states. The monitoring showed insects in Rutland, Marshfield and Whitingham all carried the disease. This human case, which was confirmed in a Sept. 8 lab test in a Windsor County patient, further confirms the presence of the virus in Vermont, according to Natalie Kwit, the state\u2019s public health veterinarian.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a good indicator and reminder, just like anytime we find the virus in mosquitoes, to continue to take precautions against mosquito bites,\u201d Kwit said.<\/p>\n Mosquitoes become infected when they bite animals \u2014 particularly deer \u2014 carrying the virus. They then spread it to other animals and people when they bite them. Humans are \u201cdead end hosts,\u201d meaning that the viral load people receive from an infected mosquito bite is too low to spread to other people.<\/p>\n It also means that many people with the virus never experience symptoms, while others can develop flu-like symptoms<\/a>, such as fevers, headaches, chills and aches. People with compromised immune systems and older people are more at risk for more severe symptoms \u2014 for some, more serious disease could escalate to confusion and discoordination, stiffness and seizure. About half of people who do become symptomatic get hospitalized, according to the Department of Health.\u00a0<\/p>\n The best way to prevent infection is to prevent mosquito bites in the first place. The Department of Health recommends limiting time outside during dusk and dawn when the insects are most active, wearing long sleeves and insect repellent<\/a>, and covering windows, doors, playpens and strollers with tight mosquito nets or screens. The department also advises people to clear any standing water that may accumulate in things like pots, buckets or children\u2019s outdoor toys.<\/p>\n In late summer, the risk for mosquito-borne illnesses increases, Kwit said, since there has been more time for the virus to circulate in hosts and mosquitoes. The risk remains \u2014 and the state plans to continue monitoring mosquitoes \u2014 until the first fall frost.\u00a0<\/p>\n The state also tests the collected mosquito samples for West Nile virus<\/a> and Eastern equine encephalitis \u2014 or EEE \u2014 virus<\/a>, as it has in years past. There have been no confirmed cases of either in a human this year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re just learning about this virus, too,\u201d Kwit said of Jamestown Canyon virus. \u201cWe\u2019ve only just started actively testing for it in mosquitoes we collect in Vermont, so over time, we\u2019ll get an understanding of where we\u2019re finding it, as we\u2019re gathering more evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A feeding female Anopheles funestus mosquito in 2014. Photo by James Gathany\/U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":215458,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[210,51879,67,132,68,4142],"class_list":{"0":"post-215457","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-mosquitoes","10":"tag-united-states","11":"tag-unitedstates","12":"tag-us","13":"tag-vermont-department-of-health"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115179970180427901","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}