BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Health says the state is seeing its first human cases of the West Nile virus so far this year.

Five case of the neuroinvasive disease have been reported in the state so far, with two in Washington Parish and one each in East Baton Rouge, St. Tammany and Livingston parishes. Two cases of West Nile fever were also reported in East Baton Rouge and Washington parishes, respectively. 

Two asymptomatic cases were additionally reported, one in Caddo Parish and one in Washington Parish. Both were diagnosed because of a blood donation.

Health officials say 53 West Nile cases had been reported in Louisiana at this same time last year.