Health officials have confirmed three cases of West Nile virus this season among New York City residents.
The health department says a 61-year-old Bronx man was the first New Yorker to contract the virus this season; he was hospitalized. It says the man also had meningitis. Two Staten Island women, one 74 years old and the other 46, also have contracted the virus. Both were hospitalized.
Last month, a 66-year-old woman from Long Island was identified as the state’s first confirmed case of West Nile virus this year. She became ill on July 5 and was recovering at home.
West Nile virus is spread by mosquitoes that often pick it up from birds. Symptoms can include neck stiffness, disorientation, coma and paralysis.