For the first time this season, Los Angeles County has found mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus.
The Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District announced on Saturday that the mosquitoes had been recovered from a pit in the San Fernando Valley’s Winnetka area.
The vector control district’s director of scientific and technical services, Steve Vetrone, in a prepared speech, said:” While the presence of West Nile Virus in our society is no unusual, this early diagnosis serves as a crucial reminder for all people to take preventative activities.” We urge people to stay away from mosquito bites and to clear standing water from their homes where flies can type.
The major spreader of the West Nile virus in California is the , culex , malaria, which becomes infected with the virus by feeding on the heart of infected animals. Mosquito bites are the typical vector for the disease’s spread to individuals.
About 20 % of persons infected with West Nile virus have symptoms, which may include infections, problems, brain headache, nausea, skin rashes and weakness. In rare instances, the attacks can lead to severe brain and spinal cord disease. People who are 60 and older have a higher risk of problems.
There is no West Nile virus vaccination for humans. In mosquito-infested places, according to public health officials, wearing long sleeves and shorts is the best way to shield yourself.
It even helps to eliminate standing water, where flies breed. Experts advise dumping any standing water in rain pipes, pots, farmers, or any other location that can hold liquid for longer than a year.
Swimming pools that have clean water and are contaminated can also be reported to the neighborhood vector control area for care.
Professionals have  , warned , that California’s history- breaking snowfall could lead to a surge in the malaria population and an increase in West Nile virus.
According to the California Mosquito-Borne Virus Surveillance and Response Program, there were 461 cases of West Nile in people last year. 19 of those cases were fatal.
Between 2013 and 2023, the program reported an increase of about 78 % in mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus in the Golden State.
According to the data, California has received 25 samples of mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus so far this year, an increase from five at the same time last year. Of those 25, 18 were found in Riverside County.
Additionally, the state reported 17 bird deaths carrying the virus, an increase from the previous year’s total of 14.
___
© 2024 Los Angeles Times
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
