hi Welcome to our Channel History Hub West Nile Virus kills two in New Jersey as death toll across us Rises to five two people have died in New Jersey after Contracting West Nile Virus marking the fourth and fifth deaths in the US this year from the mosquito born disease the state's Health Department disclosed the deaths in a statement Friday little is known about the victims beyond that they've been identified as older adults one lived in Cumberland County while the other called Mercer County home the deaths come on the heels of two virus related fatalities in Wisconsin the state's Health Department announced Thursday and one in Illinois Health officials there reported Tuesday there have been a total of eight West Nile cases in New Jersey this year leading to seven hospitalizations for enalis or menitis two of the individuals were diagnosed after tests showed the blood they had donated tested positive for the virus the six newest cases involve residents 50 and older from across the state including Bergen pic Camden Somerset Hudson and middle sex counties two cases of West Nile were previously reported this year in Middle sex and Union counties testing is done on mosquitoes collected from traps to check the presence of West Nile Virus there were 14 cases in New Jersey and one death in 2023 the Big Apple has had six cases of West West Nile this year with four in Queens and one each in Manhattan and Brooklyn a total of 20 cases have been reported throughout New York State including seven in suffk county and two in Westchester County 1 case of a rarer and more deadly mosquito born disease Eastern equin and sephtis or ee was also identified this summer in the Garden State