West Nile virus found in two Sacramento County birds. Here’s where, and what to know
West Nile virus has been detected in Sacramento County for the first time this year, local mosquito and vector control officials said Wednesday, in a pair of dead birds recently found in south Sacramento.
Two scrub jays that had been collected near Florin Road tested positive for the virus, the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District said in a news release, marking the first detection of the mosquito-borne disease for Sacramento County or Yolo County during the 2023 season.
“Finding the first positive bird is always significant because it provides an early warning sign for the disease,” district manager Gary Goodman said in a statement. “It confirms that the virus is present, shows us where we may find positive mosquito samples and where human cases may develop later in the season.”
The Sacramento-Yolo district says it will increase mosquito trapping and surveillance activity in response to the recent finding.
The district urges residents to drain standing water on their properties to ward off mosquitoes. Other steps to prevent mosquito bites include avoiding outdoor activity around dawn or dusk, wearing long sleeves and pants when outside, keeping doors closed and using insect repellent.
Alameda, Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties have also reported cases of the virus this year, combining for a total of three positive tests in dead birds and two in mosquito samples, according to California Department of Public Health data updated last Friday.
No human cases have been identified yet in California this year. In 2022, state health officials recorded 209 human cases and 13 fatalities, marking the most deaths in a year since 2017, when 44 people died out of 553 confirmed human cases.
In the greater Sacramento area, the Yuba-Sutter bi-county health office last September announced two human cases — one in a resident of each county, both of whom became severely ill.
West Nile virus activity is typically highest from June through October.
Mild or moderate symptoms include fever and fatigue. Severe symptoms in humans include neurological conditions such as encephalitis and meningitis.
Severe illness from West Nile virus is rare, Yuba-Sutter officials said last year, affecting only about one in 150 people who become infected. Roughly 80% who contract the virus remain asymptomatic, according to health officials, which means many cases go unreported.
Those who see dead birds can report them to state health officials’ West Nile virus hotline at 877-968-2473.
