Fifth Human West Nile Case Confirmed in Town of Babylon

Babylon Town now has two confirmed human cases of West Nile virus.

The Suffolk County Commissioner of Health Services Dr. James L. Tomarken made the announcement on Thursday afternoon, indicating this is the fifth confirmed case of the virus in Suffolk County this year.

It was confirmed, according to health officials, by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH).

SCDHS officials described the person who contracted the virus in a release as an adult who's younger than 55 years of age and from the Town of Babylon .

This person, officials said, experienced symptoms consistent with the West Nile virus. The individual was hospitalized in early October and has since been discharged, they noted.

Due to privacy laws, the SCDHS isn't able to provide more specifics about the individual or exactly where in Babylon Town is.

Of the four other people in Suffolk County that contracted the virus, two were over the age of 55, one from the Town of Islip and Town of Huntington. The others were under 55 and from Brookhaven and Babylon Townships.

This year's West Nile virus breakout was the largest in the history of the country. Over 1,100 cases in people were reported alone in 2012.