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Montana confirms first West Nile virus cases of the season

Kristi Hakert pets her horse Cheyenne, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2002, in Shepherd, Mont. Officials said Thursday that Hakert's horse has tested positive for the West Nile virus, the first confirmed case in the state. (DAVID GRUBBS / Associated Press)
Associated Press

BILLINGS, Mont. – The first human cases of West Nile virus this season have been reported in four Montana counties.

The state Department of Public Health and Human Services says that Big Horn, McCone, Richland and Toole counties each reported one case, bringing to four the total number of West Nile virus infections.

Richland and McCone counties border each other and sit on the far eastern side of the state. Toole County runs along the Canadian border on the northwestern side of the state.

The Billings Gazette reports that along with the human infections, the state says that Blaine, Hill, Custer and Prairie counties have mosquito populations that recently tested positive for West Nile.