MILWAUKEE – Health officials in Wisconsin are urging the public not to let their guard down when it comes to mosquitoes this Labor Day weekend.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services confirmed two people have died and another was hospitalized this year because of West Nile virus. 

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Individuals who become infected with West Nile Virus might feel body aches, vomiting, diarrhea, headache and rash. Lindsey Page, director of the Milwaukee Health Department’s infectious disease program, said roughly one-in-five people experience those symptoms – but most people don’t.

“Most people recover completely from West Nile virus,” Page said.

A more severe neuroinvasive form of the virus can develop that causes meningitis, which is swelling of the brain or spinal cord.

“We have long sleeves,” said Priya Jacobs. “Try to pack as many clothes as we can, or shoes, hiking gear, making sure that we got all the stuff that we need just to be outside.”

Wisconsin has hired longtime NFL coach Jack Del Rio to its staff, where he will serve as senior adviser to Badgers coach Luke Fickell, the team told ESPN on Thursday.

Del Rio, the former Jaguars and Raiders coach, most recently served as Washington Commanders defensive coordinator until he was fired in November. He will work with both the offense and defense at Wisconsin and assist Fickell, who starts his second season at the school Friday against Western Michigan.

A former linebacker at USC and with four NFL teams, Del Rio has spent his entire coaching career at the pro level. The 61-year-old held defensive coordinator roles with Carolina and Denver before coming to Washington in 2020.

Fickell had hoped to have former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel, his close friend and former teammate at Ohio State, around the Wisconsin program this season. But Vrabel is serving as a coaching and personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns.

In its quest to make a year two leap under coach Luke Fickell, Wisconsin is reportedly turning to a familiar NFL name.

The Badgers are hiring ex-NFL coach Jack Del Rio as a senior advisor to Fickell, according to a Thursday afternoon report from Bruce Feldman of The Athletic.

Del Rio, 61, most recently served as the defensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders from 2020 to 2023. His tenure was marked by on-field inconsistency—the Commanders fielded a top-five total defense in 2022 and the league’s worst total defense in ’23—and off-field controversy.

This will be the first college coaching gig for the USC product, who was a consensus All-American linebacker with the Trojans in 1984.

As a professional, Del Rio made the Pro Bowl with the Minnesota Vikings in 1994. He worked parts of 12 seasons as a head coach, leading the Jacksonville Jaguars (in 2005 and 2007) and Oakland Raiders (2016) to the postseason.

Wisconsin is scheduled to open its season Friday against Western Michigan.