Chico woman gets West Nile
The first human detection of WNV in Butte County this year
A Chico woman has tested positive for West Nile virus, the first human case in Butte County this year. According to a Butte County Public Health Department press release, “[t]he older woman developed neuroinvasive disease, the most severe form of the virus.”
Dr. Mark Lundberg, the county’s health officer, said cases of West Nile detection are up statewide this year. “The public should take extra care to avoid mosquito bites,” Lundberg said. “Prevention is the key to stopping the spread of the virus.”
West Nile has been detected in 32 of the state’s 58 counties, with eight reports of human infection. In Butte County, two dead birds have tested positive along with one chicken and six mosquito laden pools.
WNV is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, which become vectors after biting infected birds. Most WNV-infected people do not get sick, but adults over the age of 50 are more vulnerable.
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