Very ill L.A. County person found to have West Nile amid explosion of virus activity nationwide
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Set us as preferred The L.A.County Public Health Department announced its first case of West Nile virus this year.
An Antelope Valley resident has been hospitalized with a rare and serious symptom of the virus.On Monday, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health stated that the infected individual was currently hospitalized after developing West Nile virus encephalitis — which can cause fever, altered mental status and movement disorders, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.It occurs in less than 1% of infected patients.“Detecting West Nile virus in our district is a reminder that this virus has been present in California, and right here in our community, for over 20 years,” said Brenna Bates-Grubb, community outreach specialist with the Antelope Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District.The virus-carrying mosquitoes and the infections that ensue are “part of our local environment and continue to reappear year after year,” Bates-Grubb said in a statement.
West Nile virus is the most common and serious mosquito-borne disease in California that doesn’t have a specific treatment or vaccine to prevent infection.Last week, local and federal public health officials reported West Nile virus activity as being well above average for this time of the year.
By the end of June, there were at least 48 human disease cases nationwide, including 38 cases of severe neuroinvasive disease.There are three reported human cases of West Nile virus in the state so far this year — the case announced Monday by Los Angeles County health officials, another in Sacramento County and one reported by the city of Long Beach.The Los Angeles Public Health Department reports 41 human cases per year, on average, during the last five years, officials stated.
“However, the total number of people infected with We...