Mosquitoes Test Positive For West Nile Virus In San Diego County

SAN DIEGO, CA — County environmental health officials Wednesday reminded people to protect themselves from mosquitoes after a batch of the bugs collected from the north end of Los Peñasquitos Lagoon adjacent to Del Mar and parts of San Diego tested positive for West Nile virus.

This marks the first sign of the disease in mosquitoes this year, county officials said. However, there have been no locally contracted human West Nile virus cases reported.

If people who become infected suffer symptoms, they are typically mild, including headache, fever, nausea, fatigue, skin rash or swollen glands, according to county officials. In rare cases, West Nile virus can make people extremely ill and even kill them. In 2015, 44 county residents tested positive for West Nile virus and six county residents died.

West Nile virus is mainly a bird disease, but it can be transmitted to humans by local mosquitoes if they feed off an infected animal, mainly birds, and then bite people.

Officials said people should continue to follow the county's "Prevent, Protect, Report" guidelines, including finding and dumping out standing water around homes to keep mosquitoes from breeding.