West Nile virus is confirmed in Oklahoma County resident

The state also reported this week that it has its first case of the virus this year. The times have been selected because they are the times most mosquitoes are active.

California’s West Nile virus website includes the latest information on WNV activity in the state. Birds pass WNV to mosquitos during a blood meal. As birds and mosquitoes seek water, they are coming into closer contact and amplifying the transmission of the virus.

Within Stanislaus County there were two fatalities and 38 cases of the neuroinvasive form in 2014, the Stanislaus Health Services Agency reported.

WNV is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. Seasonal outbreaks often occur in local areas that can vary from year to year. Most people infected do not display signs or symptoms of the virus, but it can potentially cause life-threatening illness that includes inflammation of the brain, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Less than one percent of infected people develop a serious neurologic illness, such as meningitis.

Residents over the age of 50 are at the highest risk. People with milder illnesses typically recover on their own, although symptoms may last for several weeks or months.

The spraying was scheduled earlier this week after the county Health Department found Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus in a mosquito pool in the Cicero Swamp area, but weather forced the treatment to be pushed back twice.

– Install or fix screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes outside. Fix or replace screens with tears or holes. Eliminate all sources of standing water on your property, by emptying flower pots, old vehicle tires, and buckets. The vector control district offers free assessments to residents experiencing mosquito infestations and even provides complimentary mosquito fish for ornamental ponds and neglected swimming pools.

– Use bug spray with deet.