A West Nile virus expert breaks down NYC's case surge

WNYC News | Sep 20

New York City has already seen more West Nile Virus cases in humans than in all of 2025. The city’s Health Department says about two dozen people have been diagnosed with the virus so far in 2026, with more than three months left to go. Cases are scattered throughout the city.

Dr. Kiran Thakur is an expert on West Nile virus. She’s the Director of the Neuroinfectious Disease program at Columbia-New York Presbyterian Hospital and she joins WNYC to talk about this year's increase in human cases.

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