Fatal Bite: First Mosquito-Related West Nile Virus Death in Years Reported in Southern California

The Contra Costa County Health Department in Southern California has announced its first mosquito-transmitted West Nile Virus human fatality since 2006.

Knewz.com has learned that while it has not been disclosed where the man who died on July 16 was infected, 140 disease -infected pools were tallied in the state ten days later.

Dr. Meera Sreenivasan, a deputy county health officer for said health department, weighed in on the death, saying:

“This is a tragedy, and we offer our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones for their loss.”

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of a Contra Costa County resident to West Nile virus,” the district general manager Paula Macedo, Ph.D. echoed.

“This tragic event serves as a stark reminder of the importance of protecting ourselves from mosquito bites and supporting community efforts to control mosquito populations,” Macedo warned.

Two more human diagnoses of the West Nile Virus have been reported in Californian counties of Fresno and Yuba.

Along with the latter, the virus was detected in the blood of three donors who at the time were noted to be asymptomatic.

Ten days after California recorded its first West Nile fatality in nearly two decades, the state detected bodies of water infected with the virus (breeding sites) in 21 counties including Los Angeles , Orange, Placer, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Clara, and Yuba.

These affected water bodies were noted to be in gutters, underground storm drains, flood control channels, and debris basins and fell under the respective county’s Mosquito and Vector Control District’s purview.

As such, said government agency tries to eradicate these breeding opportunities.

Notably, bodies of water where the West Nile Virus is prevalent can also be substantially smaller and occur in birdbaths, stagnant fountains, old tires, clogged gutters, portable basketball hoops, uncovered outdoor grills, potted plants with saucers, and flower vases.

The responsibility of keeping these areas parasite-unfriendly falls to property owners and tenants.

The American Mosquito Control Association reports that the United States is home to 176 species of mosquito, 50 of which can be found in California.

Of this number, only one genus (the Culex) is susceptible to and responsible for the transmission of the virus—which originates from the avian species.

Uninfected mosquitoes bite birds, become infected, and then bite humans passing the virus on as they do.

As a testimony to the latter, Contra Costa County has since discovered one dead bird and five chickens with the virus.

The human symptoms of West Nile Virus include fever, headaches, emesis (vomiting) and rashes.

Dr. Sreenivasan emphasized the risk to humans saying: “This death [of the male who died on July 16] also reinforces how important it is to reduce risk of West Nile virus infection by reducing our exposure to mosquitos ,” per Contra Costa Health.

According to the Contra Costa Health Department , the best way to mitigate the risk of being bitten is by using repellents with DEET, picaridin, IR3535 (otherwise known as ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate), para-menthane-diol, 2-undecanone (a plant ingredient) or lemon eucalyptus oil as an ingredient.