Camden Co. man 1st 2016 West Nile case in New Jersey

A Camden County man has become the first confirmed case of West Nile virus in New Jersey this year.

The state Department of Health said the 48-year-old man began showing symptoms July 8 and is now hospitalized.

Pennsylvania has also reported one case of the mosquito-borne virus so far, in a woman from Indiana County.

Last year, there were 26 West Nile cases in New Jersey, including three deaths.

Until the Camden County case, the disease had only been detected in mosquitos in Atlantic and Monmouth Counties, according to the department. In Pennsylvania, mosquitoes have tested positive for the virus in 17 counties so far this year, including Bucks, Delaware and Montgomery.

People get sick when they are bit by an infected mosquito. The illness, which can be deadly, causes inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.

Many people infected don't develop symptoms, but those who do may experience a fever, headache, body aches, nausea or neck stiffness.

Another mosquito-transmitted disease, the Zika virus, has been a bigger focus of concern this year. There is no evidence Zika is present in mosquitos in the mainland United States.