(Metro Creative Services)

Special to the American Press

The Louisiana Department of Health  has confirmed the state’s first human case of West Nile virus of the mosquito season. This case was confirmed in an individual from Livingston Parish who was hospitalized due to complications from the infection.

About 1 in 150 people who are infected with West Nile develop a severe illness that can affect the brain, spinal cord, and nerves, which may even cause paralysis or death.

West Nile virus has been actively spreading throughout Louisiana since its first detection in the state in 2002. To date in 2025, West Nile activity has been confirmed in 14 parishes. In 2024, there were 57 confirmed human cases of West Nile in Louisiana, including three deaths.