A Galveston County resident has West Nile virus, the Galveston County Health District reported Friday. The person is the first Galveston County resident this year to have the virus, according to the department.

Since Aug. 7, 16 Suffolk residents have tested positive for West Nile, the second highest number of human cases in a single year since the county began reporting cases in 2000, the county said.

The virus spreads to people through mosquito bites and usually occurs during mosquito season, which ends in the fall, officials said.