GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.—A Mesa County man in his 20s has become the first person to contract West Nile virus on the Western Slope this summer.
Mesa County Health Department spokeswoman Kristy Westerman says the man came down with the least severe form of the virus, known as West Nile fever.
The unidentified man was not hospitalized.
The Tri-County Health Department says a 40-year-old Commerce City resident is the first confirmed case of West Nile in Adams County this season.
Officials say the man suffered from West Nile fever but did require hospitalization. He has since been released and is recuperating.
There have now been 16 confirmed cases of West Nile in Colorado this year.
Colorado had 576 cases of West Nile last year, including seven deaths.
