Orono, Maine, residents were warned this week that mosquitoes in the area are carrying the Jamestown Canyon Virus.
According to USA Today, the virus was first reported to be transmitted to a human via a mosquito bite in Maine in 2017. According to the Maine Center of Disease Control, this year's test results for Jamestown Canyon Virus mark the earliest for a positive result ever in a calendar year.
The humid conditions of this summer increase the risk of mosquito-borne diseases being spread to humans.
While the Jamestown Canyon Virus was first transmitted to a human in 2017, it is still very rare for the disease to be transmitted to humans. Regardless of the rare transmission, scientists do consider the virus to be an emerging public health threat. The Jamestown Canyon Virus, when transmitted to humans, is very dangerous. The virus can lead to the development of severe neurological diseases, such as meningitis, and even death. Moreover, the complications arise quickly, with many of the infected growing very ill, very quickly.
Jamestown Canyon Virus Identified in Maine Mosquitoes
While the Jamestown Canyon Virus rarely transfers from mosquito to human, other mosquito-borne diseases are for more widespread. Both West Nile virus and Dengue virus are carried in mosquitoes around the country. Both viruses are known to transmit to humans more frequently. This summer, experts are also on the lookout for St. Louis encephalitis, which is transmitted via mosquito bite as well.
Shannan Rossi, an immunology professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, warned that more and more cases of mosquito-borne disease will be identified in humans as summer carries on.
"As the summer continues, you're going to see more and more of these local cases, and that's expected," said Rossi. She continued to note that this is a trend we see increase year after year.
While the Jamestown Canyon Virus can be dangerous, its last known infection of a human was 2021. On the contrary, West Nile Virus is now found in mosquitoes across all 48 states of the continental U.S. While the contrast in presence is striking, the concern surrounding Maine's Jamestown Canyon Virus is still very real.
