From yourcentralvalley.com
May 23, 2019
VISALIA, California – Mosquitos in Visalia tested positive for West Nile Virus, the Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency said Thursday.
Sampling from a mosquito trap in southwest Visalia tested positive.
Delta Vector Control District, the testing agency, and the Tulare County Health & Human Service Agency’s Public Health Branch are asking Visalia residents to be vigilant against mosquito bites.
West Nile Virus is an illness caused by the bite of an infected mosquito.
Symptoms can vary in severity, and though most individuals experience minimal to no effects, symptoms can include fever, headache, body aches, skin rash, and swollen lymph nodes, while severe symptoms include disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, and paralysis, the agency said.
Anyone who experiences symptoms after being bitten should contact their doctor or local clinic.
Mosquitoes are infected with West Nile Virus by taking a blood meal from an infected bird.
It is imperative that community members take precautions to prevent being bitten by mosquitoes and report dead birds and incidences of high mosquito presence.