Los Angeles and Orange counties have become the epicentre of California’s worst West Nile virus season in five years, with the two counties accounting for the bulk of the state’s human infections.
The two counties combined account for at least 63 percent of the 378 human infections reported this year by the California Department of Public Health, according to the Southern California News Group, and more people are contracting the mosquito-borne virus and dying there than anywhere else in the state.
The virus is transmitted by the female Southern House mosquito, and officials warn the true count is likely higher, because the state’s database lags behind the numbers reported by individual counties.
Why this year is worse
Hot, dry conditions extend mosquito season, and urban areas with standing water give the insects ample breeding ground. Health officials say the five-year high should be a wake-up call for residents who have grown complacent about a virus that has circulated in California for more than two decades.
Most infected people never develop symptoms, but about one in five develops fever and body aches, and a small fraction develops severe neurological illness. Older adults face the highest risk.
Protecting yourself
Officials recommend draining standing water, using repellent and making sure window screens are intact, the same guidance issued every year. Ireland’s recent MRSA outbreak linked to bouncy castles is a reminder that small organisms cause outsized trouble when hygiene lapses.
The county-level data, summarised in this health news roundup, suggests Southern California’s mosquito season is far from over.
