A Mosquito-Borne Virus Is Sweeping Into The State — And It’s Not Zika
Statewide, there's been a significant increase in mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile virus.
Modesto Bee:
West Nile Virus Prompts Valley Warnings
Vector control officials are reminding the public to take precautions against mosquito bites after a recent upswing in the number of mosquito samples testing positive for West Nile virus locally and statewide. Turlock Mosquito Abatement District and San Joaquin County Mosquito Vector Control District are both reporting steep increases in mosquito samples that have tested positive for West Nile Virus. Plus, Merced County officials said they recently found that area’s first positive West Nile virus mosquito samples of the year, in addition to a sentinel chicken that tested positive for the virus in Los Banos. (Patton, 7/20)
LA Daily News:
Echo Park Man Struck With West Nile Virus Is First In LA County, Sparking Warnings
A man from Echo Park is the first person to be infected with West Nile virus this year in Los Angeles County and public health officials warned Wednesday this could be an active season for the mosquito borne-virus. ...Although the Zika virus has garnered more attention, 53 people died in California last year as a result of contracting West Nile virus, setting a state record. That’s the most since the California Department of Public Health began recording cases in 2003, and the most in any U.S. state. Of the those deaths in California, 24 were from Los Angeles County. (Abram, 7/20)