West Nile Turns Up In Sacramento’s Mosquitoes, Birds Earlier This Season
“Heat increases the life cycle of mosquitoes, so we weren’t surprised, after we had over-100 degree days, when we saw the increase in activity," says Luz Maria Rodriguez, the spokeswoman for the Sacramento-Yolo mosquito district.
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento’s West Nile Virus Arrives Early In Mosquitoes, Dead Birds
West Nile virus is showing up earlier and faster this summer in Sacramento, with the count of infected mosquitoes and dead birds exceeding that recorded in mid-June last year. That’s according to the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District, which announced Wednesday that 47 dead birds and 30 mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile, mostly in Arden Arcade, North Highlands and other neighborhoods north of the American River. (Buck, 6/15)
In other public health news, researchers are studying the link between brain development and music —
KPCC:
USC Study Continues To Provide Data On Music And Brain Development
New brain imaging data from researchers at the University of Southern California's Brain and Creativity Institute shows that music training accelerates brain development in children. "It will take a long time to be absolutely certain of the results, but a little bit to our surprise, strong results began to emerge earlier," said Antonio Damasio, director of the Brain and Creativity Institute, acknowledging that more data and analysis is required. (Neely, 6/15)