Rare mosquito-borne virus arrives in Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A rare mosquito-borne virus was confirmed in Nebraska for the first time on Friday.

Samples from a mosquito pool collected at Cunningham Lake in Douglas County were found to have the Jamestown Canyon virus after testing by the Nebraska Public Health Lab.

The virus was first found in Colorado in 1961.

Mosquitos typically contract the virus through biting infected white-tailed deer, according to the Douglas County Health Department.

Humans are considered “dead-end” hosts and cannot spread the virus, officials said.

JVC can cause a range of symptoms, from a flu-like illness with a fever to neurologic conditions like meningitis.

About half of all cases require hospitalization, but death is rare.

There are no confirmed human cases in the United States so far this year.