PPHD Environmental Health Coordinator Melissa Cervantes says the agency had been routinely testing sites to trap and monitor mosquitoes for the past couple months before getting the positive result in Sheridan County last week.
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West Nile symptoms appear between three and 14 days after being bitten from an infected mosquito and include fever, fatigue, headache, body ache, rashes and swollen lymph nodes.
Meanwhile, the Marysville Appeal-Democrat is reporting that a woman in Linda has been confirmed as suffering from West Nile, even though the state’s West Nile website – http://westnile.ca.gov/ – does not report any human cases.
One of the mosquitoes was found in North Chico, the second, from the Honcut area of Southern Butte County.
Serious West Nile Virus infections can cause inflammation of the brain or the brain’s lining, loss of vision, paralysis, coma, tremors, convulsion and death.
Experts say there are some easy ways to protect yourself, for example, draining standing water from your properties.
Residents should use mosquito repellents when they go outdoors, and/or wear long sleeves and trousers, especially when mosquitoes are most active in mornings and evenings.
While there is no immunization for West Nile, it can be treated. Barn managers should be sure to destroy any mosquito-breeding habitats by removing all potential sources of stagnant water, clean and empty any water-holding containers, such as water buckets, water troughs and plastic containers, on a weekly basis, and regularly apply insect repellent or bring horses inside during the peak mosquito feeding hours of dusk to dawn.
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Meanwhile, the Butte County district urges people to take precautions against being bitten by the mosquitoes that spread the disease.
