From the Modesto Bee
July 13, 2022
Stanislaus County public health officials confirmed a case of St. Louis encephalitis Wednesday.
The viral disease spread by mosquitoes is less common than West Nile virus, an endemic illness that generates attention every year in the Central Valley.
According to a county news release, an adult male suffering from neurologic illness tested positive for the St. Louis encephalitis virus. It’s the county’s first case of the viral disease this year.
Officials did not know where the man contracted the illness. As of last week, neither the St. Louis or West Nile viruses had been detected in the environment in Stanislaus County by mosquito abatement districts. The related viruses haven’t been found in mosquito samples or dead birds, and no infections in horses.
“We are not aware whether the individual traveled out of county or not,” a county spokesperson said by email.