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NowPublic.com
Health officials are urging borderland residents to protect themselves against mosquitoes after the city’s Department of Public Health on Thursday confirmed the second human case of West Nile virus in El Paso County this year. “It involves a 23-year-old man from San Elizario, but we do not have any more details available except that he is recovering at home,” said Joanne Bates, the department’s spokeswoman. “The case was confirmed by a laboratory.” West Nile symptoms can include fever, nausea, lethargy, headache and muscle aches, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Harvey Artsob, director of zoonotic diseases at the Public Health Agency of Canada, said this is a critical time of year when weather conditions can greatly influence the number of mosquitoes. Artsob said the U.S. has already seen 22 human cases of the virus this year, but most of those were in southern states. He said there have been human cases of West Nile in Canada every year since 2001, and the pattern this year is similar to previous years. “This is just showing the repeat pattern of activity, that the virus is endemic in certain areas, and this is just confirming West Nile is here,” he said.

On Monday, the Denton County Health Department reported that the first case of West Nile virus this year had been confirmed in Flower Mound, said Betsy Haggard, department spokes­woman. It was the second case in the state. The person was diagnosed with West Nile fever, the less serious of the two forms of the virus, and they have already been treated. Flower Mound will begin spraying Thursday night to re­duce the chances of the virus. No other cities have planned spraying, Haggard said. More

A second West Nile virus case of 2008 has been confirmed in a Jefferson Parish resident, state health officials say. The latest case is similar to the first confirmed case of the year: both were found during routine screenings for blood donors and both of the infected persons did not show any signs of illness.

Dr. Raoult Ratard, the state epidemiologist, stressed Monday that the detection of the cases outside the usual West Nile season, proves that the Department of Health and Hospitals’ year-round surveillance system is working.

“Our surveillance system found two cases of the virus outside of the normal season, and in individuals that felt good enough to donate blood,” Ratard said. “This is why we monitor the virus year round.”
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NewsOK.com
A southeastern Oklahoma woman has the state’s first confirmed case of West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne disease that in 2007 killed eight people in the state. The 55-year-old woman in Pittsburg County has survived. Her name isn’t being released. The state Health Department confirmed the West Nile virus case after the woman suffered a sudden onset of fever, headaches, dizziness and muscle weakness — all common West Nile symptoms.

Health authorities acknowledged that the case came early in the West Nile season, which is July through October. State epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley said these specific steps should be taken to avoid mosquito bites: Stay indoors or use insect repellent between dusk and dawn if you’re outside when mosquitoes are more likely to bite; and drain standing water from buckets, cans, pool covers, and flower pots.

tracypress.com
A dead crow found in Tracy was confirmed infected with West Nile Virus, the first sign of the pathogen in the Central Valley this year, the San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District found late Wednesday. Like most birds, crows live only five days after getting infected, she said. Bearden said vector control scientists find the virus a week earlier every year. Since the virus is heat-activated, she added, a few consecutive days of 100-degree weather in early

A dozen California counties have reported infected or dead animals because of the virus this year. The first recorded human case of the virus now endemic to the county was in summer 2004, when a man died from the avian infection. Two Central Valley residents, a horse and 158 birds have since died from it. Forty-one of those birds died in Tracy. More

Dani Carlson and Kyra Jenkins
kmph.com
en California counties have confirmed cases of birds infected with the West Nile Virus. One of those is right here in the Central Valley. That was news to Jose Bettencourt. He and his family found out Wednesday that the West Nile Virus might be in their Southwest Visalia neighborhood. “It’s kind of a scary thing if it’s happening here in this area,” said Bettencourt.

A state lab confirmed Tuesday that a dead crow, found on Chinowith Street, was infected with the deadly virus. According to Delta Vector Control District officials, this is one of the earliest times the virus has ever been found in Visalia. “That means there is active virus transmission in the area,” said Yolanda Laurence, the Assistant Manager for Delta Vector. “If we have infected birds then we probably have infected mosquitoes.” Read more