State health officials say Pennsylvania’s first human case of the 2012 West Nile Virus has been confirmed.
 
The Department of Health reported Monday that a Franklin County woman is recovering after being hospitalized with meningitis due to the virus. A Lancaster County woman is also recovering after contracting West Nile fever, the milder form of the virus.
 
Officials are strongly urging residents to minimize their exposure to mosquitoes due to an unprecedented number of them carrying the West Nile Virus this year. Statewide sampling shows higher numbers of infected mosquitoes than any other summer since monitoring began 10 years ago.
 
The Department of Environmental Protection says the increase in the number of infected mosquitoes is likely due to last year’s mild winter. The West Nile Virus has been found in 42 or Pennsylvania’s 57 counties.