Two adults from central North Carolina have died after contracting West Nile virus, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) announced Friday, Oct. 9.

The state did not release the names of the deceased or specify where in central North Carolina the deaths occurred. NC DHHS warned that older adults and people with underlying health conditions face the highest risk of severe illness and death from the virus, as WSOC-TV first reported.

Mecklenburg County, which includes Ballantyne, confirmed three symptomatic human cases of West Nile virus in a Sept. 3 press release issued ahead of the Labor Day weekend. Several pools of mosquitoes collected in the county also tested positive for the virus.

Chrystal Swinger, director of Environmental Health for Mecklenburg County, told the Charlotte Observer on Sept. 4 that the level of viral activity was out of the ordinary. "We've been trapping and testing for West Nile since 2001, and this is an unusual increase in activity compared to other years," Swinger said.

Swinger also told the Observer that while mosquito populations typically peak in August, viral activity in the remaining insects climbs in September. More than 20 mosquito pools had been tested in the county, with multiple pools in central and northern Mecklenburg coming back positive.

The outbreak extends beyond Mecklenburg County. Two Cabarrus County residents contracted the virus in August. The first confirmed case in the state this year was a Gaston County resident, announced Aug. 5, according to the Asheville Citizen-Times. A West Nile-positive blood donor was also identified in Mecklenburg County through routine screening, the Raleigh News & Observer reported.

As of Oct. 6, the CDC had confirmed 11 human West Nile cases statewide in 2026, according to the Citizen-Times. North Carolina also recorded 11 cases in all of 2025, according to the Charlotte Observer citing CDC data.

No vaccine exists for West Nile virus, and no medication can cure the disease once a person is infected, according to Mecklenburg County Public Health. Most people who contract the virus experience no symptoms or mild, flu-like illness. About one in five develop a fever. About one in 150 develop serious neurological illness, and one in 10 of those severe cases is fatal, according to the CDC.

The virus spreads only through the bite of an infected mosquito, not person to person. Mosquitoes that carry West Nile are most active between dusk and dawn.

NC DHHS recommends residents use DEET or equivalent insect repellent on exposed skin, wear long sleeves and pants outdoors, limit outdoor activity between dusk and dawn, keep window and door screens in good repair and dump standing water weekly to eliminate breeding sites.

Residents can report mosquito concerns to Mecklenburg County Environmental Health at 980-314-1620.