The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday that human West Nile virus infections continued to rise across multiple states as peak mosquito season pushed case counts higher through early August.

West Nile is the most common mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States, spread primarily by Culex mosquitoes. Most infected people show no symptoms, but roughly one in 150 develops severe neurological illness such as encephalitis or meningitis. Adults over 60 face the highest risk.

State health departments in Texas, Arizona, California and several Midwestern states have logged new human cases and detected the virus in mosquito pools and birds in recent weeks. Public health officials linked the acceleration to sustained summer heat and standing water, which favour mosquito breeding.

Public health authorities recommended that residents use EPA-registered insect repellents, wear long sleeves at dawn and dusk, and drain standing water around homes. There is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for West Nile in humans, so prevention remains the primary defence.

"The best protection against West Nile virus is to prevent mosquito bites," a CDC spokesperson said. The agency plans to intensify surveillance through late summer, as case numbers typically peak in August and September.