罗得岛州通报2026年首例人感染西尼罗病毒，患者疑在旅行中感染
据罗得岛州卫生厅与环境管理厅10月8日（周四）联合发布的通报，该州出现2026年首例人感染西尼罗病毒病例。
患者是华盛顿县一名60多岁的居民，9月初出现症状，目前仍在医院康复，预计不久即可出院。阳性检测结果上周经美国疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）确认。
据卫生厅介绍，该患者曾前往存在西尼罗病毒活跃传播的地区旅行，根据旅行史判断，感染很可能发生在罗得岛州境外。
官员表示，由于蚊子数量已季节性减少，全州西尼罗病毒风险等级已降为“低”，2026年的蚊子诱捕和检测工作也已结束。但在全州经历真正的硬霜冻（定义为连续三小时气温低于32华氏度，可杀死成年蚊子）之前，低风险依然存在。
西尼罗病毒是美国本土最主要的蚊媒疾病。大多数感染者没有症状，约五分之一会出现发热等症状，约150分之一会发展为严重甚至致命的疾病。目前没有预防疫苗，也没有特效治疗药物。今年该州尚未在人或蚊子样本中发现东部马脑炎病毒。
Rhode Island Reports First Human West Nile Virus Case of 2026 in Washington County Resident
The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) on Thursday announced the state's first human case of West Nile virus in 2026, in a joint statement with the Department of Environmental Management.
The patient is a Washington County resident in their 60s who developed symptoms in early September. The person has been recovering in the hospital and is expected to be released soon. The positive test was confirmed last week at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to the health department, the individual had a history of travel to an area with active West Nile virus transmission, and based on the travel history the infection was likely acquired outside of Rhode Island.
Officials said the statewide risk level for West Nile virus is now low because mosquito populations are seasonally low, and mosquito trapping and testing have ended for the 2026 season. However, a low risk remains until the entire state experiences a true hard frost — defined as three consecutive hours below 32 degrees — which kills adult mosquitoes.
West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States. Most people infected do not feel sick; about one in five develop fever and other symptoms, and about one in 150 develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness. There are no vaccines or medications to treat it. The state has reported no human or mosquito findings of Eastern equine encephalitis this year.
图片来源：Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
