West Nile virus caused two human deaths in Pennsylvania this year, 33 cases statewide

Sam Ruland
York Daily Record
Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on the planet. They carry many diseases, including West Nile and Zika virus and dengue fever.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed that West Nile Virus caused the death of two people in the state, according to reports from Lancaster Online

The deaths were in Lancaster and Lebanon counties, according to Nate Wardle, department spokesman. 

Wardle told Lancaster Online that although there has only been two confirmed deaths, there have been 33 human cases of West Nile virus this year — that includes one case each in Dauphin and York counties, four in Lebanon County, three in Lancaster County, and three in Berks County.

That's 15 more cases than are listed on the Department of Environmental Protection's website, last updated on Aug. 30.

West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito, and according to  Pennsylvania's West Nile Control Program's website, much of southcentral Pennsylvania is considered high risk.

Click here to read the full Lancaster Online report.