LONG BEACH, CA — West Nile virus cases are continuing to climb sharply in Long Beach, where health officials have now confirmed 21 cases this year — the city's second-highest annual total on record.
The new figure represents five additional cases since Aug. 28, when the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services reported 16 cases.
As of Sept. 3, 71 percent of reported cases involved neuroinvasive disease and 76 percent required hospitalization, City Health Officer Dr. Cliff Okada told Patch. There have been no confirmed West Nile virus deaths in Long Beach this year, he said.
"2014 remains the highest year for reported West Nile virus cases in Long Beach, with 56 cases," Okada said. "With 21 cases reported so far in 2026, this year is currently the second-highest year on record."
The latest numbers mark a striking escalation from recent years. Long Beach recorded just one case in 2025, none in 2024 and one in 2023, according to the city's West Nile virus surveillance data.
Before this year, the largest totals since the 2014 outbreak were 15 cases in 2017 and 14 in 2015. The city recorded no more than five cases in any year from 2018 through 2025. Long Beach announced its first human case of 2026 on June 26. That patient was hospitalized with neuroinvasive illness and later returned home to recover.
By Aug. 28, the total had climbed to 16. At that point, 69 percent of cases involved neuroinvasive disease and 81 percent had required hospitalization. Five more cases were reported by Sept. 3. Health officials expect West Nile virus activity to continue through early fall, with cases typically peaking in September, Okada told Patch.
West Nile virus is spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. Most people who become infected do not develop symptoms.
About one in five infected people develops symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, vomiting or a rash, according to the city. About 1 percent can develop a more severe illness affecting the brain or nervous system, including encephalitis or meningitis.
That severe neurological illness is known as neuroinvasive disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says symptoms of severe illness can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, muscle weakness and paralysis.
Okada said the Health Department has enhanced disease surveillance and continues to work with regional vector-control agencies to monitor mosquito activity and reduce mosquito populations.
"This integrated approach allows our public health and Vector Control teams to use current human case and mosquito activity data to identify areas of concern and guide response efforts," Okada told Patch.
The city is also urging residents to take precautions themselves. "The Long Beach Health Department has experienced public health and Vector Control teams, established surveillance systems and response protocols in place to closely monitor West Nile virus activity and respond as conditions change," Okada said. "I am confident in our teams and the systems we have in place, but protecting our community from West Nile virus is a shared effort."
"We need residents to do their part by taking precautions to prevent mosquito bites and eliminating standing water around their homes," he added. "By working together, we can help reduce the risk of West Nile virus and protect the health of our community."
Health officials recommend using EPA-registered insect repellent, wearing long sleeves and long pants around dawn and dusk, keeping doors and windows screened and removing standing water around homes.
Residents can report mosquito problems to Long Beach Vector Control at 562-570-4132. Dead birds, which can be an indicator of West Nile virus activity, can be reported at 877-WNV-BIRD (968-2473).
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