A mosquito feeding. Photo: CDC via Wikicommons.

JNS.org – Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry is warning Israelis to protect themselves from insect bites after reporting that 67 people have been hospitalized with West Nile virus.

An 18-year-old resident of Israel’s south is in critical condition, with another six people listed in serious condition from the mosquito-transmitted disease.

Tests this week confirmed that some mosquitoes in Pardes Hannah, Binyamina, Caesarea, the Menashe Regional Council, and the Alona Regional Council (both in the Haifa area) were carriers of the virus.

Peak season for the illness in Israel is between August and October, with an incubation period of three to 15 days.

Symptoms include fever, rashes, and headaches, but complications can also include meningitis.