State health officials confirm the first two human cases of West Nile virus in Iowa this year. A girl and a man, both from Sioux County, had to be hospitalized recently to be treated for the virus and both are recovering. State epidemiologist Dr. Patty Quinlisk says Iowa recorded 14 West Nile cases statewide last year.

 

Quinlisk expects there will be more cases soon, as the West Nile virus season typically lasts from late summer into early autumn.

 

West Nile first came on the scene in Iowa in 2002 and early on was responsible for many dozens of cases per year and a number of deaths.

The last death in Iowa caused by West Nile virus was in 2010, and there were two deaths that year.