WASHINGTON - An adult in central Maryland is the state's first
person to contract West Nile virus and show symptoms in 2012.
The U.S. Department of Defense detected the virus in a pool of
mosquitoes collected at a trap site in Montgomery County,
according to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene. A few tests throughout the state have come back
positive for West Nile. The CDC reports that West Nile season is
off to an early start this year. Most people who contract the
virus do not show symptoms, according to the DHMH. For those who
do, common symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, skin
rashes and swollen lymph glands. Symptoms typically appear
within three to 15 days following the bite of an infected
mosquito, according to the department. Less than one percent of
people who are infected show more severe symptoms like neck
stiffness, stupor, disorientation or convulsions, according to
the DHMH. People over 50 and people who have a weakened immune
system have a higher risk of becoming infe