The Maine Centers for Disease Control is warning residents to protect against mosquito bites after a Kennebec County resident contracted the mosquito-borne Jamestown Canyon virus.
The state agency said the individual developed symptoms in early June and required hospitalization. The individual is now recovering at home. The Jamestown Canyon virus is an arbovirus similar to West Nile. Arboviruses often incite fever and flu-like illness, and can result in the onset of encephalitis or meningitis.
Jamestown Canyon virus is a relatively rare diseases carried by several mosquito species, including those present in Maine. Humans can contract the virus via mosquito bites. The virus can not be spread by human-to-human or animal-to-human contact, according to the Maine CDC.
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