From the Daily Bruin
August 31, 2020
Los Angeles County residents should take precautions against a disease spread by mosquitoes, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said.
West Nile virus, a virus transmitted to humans by a mosquito bite from an infected mosquito, can invade the central nervous system and be deadly. Symptoms of infection vary from mild fever and rashes to paralysis and coma. People and animals are susceptible to the virus.
There has been one WNV-related death and five cases of WNV this year in LA County, according to the LACDPH. 35 people have contracted WNV in California, according to the California Department of Public Health. Last year, there were 29 cases and 3 deaths in LA County.
Less than 1% of people infected with WNV have severe symptoms, while about 10% of people with severe symptoms die, said Paul Allyn, an infectious disease specialist at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.