Pools In New Jersey Test Positive For West Nile Virus, New Virus

West Nile Virus reached its peak time of year on Friday as the season for the mosquito-borne disease continues, running all the way through October in the state of New Jersey.

State health officials say mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus have begun breeding in puddles and standing water throughout North Jersey, including Bergen, Passaic, and Hudson counties, which have all had positive-reading test results for the virus. Eight other counties thoughout New Jersey have also tested positive for the virus, according to northjersey.com.

West Nile Virus is a major concern for health officials every year because the virus can potentially turn deadly, with two people killed and ten others sickened in New Jersey in 2013, according to the State Health Department. Although no human cases have been reported in the state yet this season, officials are alarmed about the arrival of another potential mosquito-borne illness this year from travelers who have visited the Caribbean called chikungunya. Officials say all 25 New Jersey residents who have tested positive for this new virus, including six people from Bergen County and three from Passaic County, had all traveled recently to the Caribbean.