From the Modesto Bee
June 17, 2019
A human case of west Nile virus was confirmed this week near east Modesto, according Lloyd Douglass, manager of the East Side Mosquito Abatement District.
Douglass said the case came a bit earlier than last year for the area, and could be the first in the state. There were no reported human cases as of last Friday, according to the state’s West Nile website. Generally, the first cases are seen in the Bakersfield area and Southern California.
Mosquitoes with West Nile have been found this year, with a report of three dead birds — two in Orange County and one in San Diego County.
Warm weather coupled with plentiful water from the wet winter have created the “perfect storm” to allow mosquito populations to boom, Douglass said. With more mosquitoes comes the greater likelihood of people contracting the virus.