West Nile mosquitoes discovered in Palm Springs
Residents urged to take precautions against mosquito bites after two samples of mosquitoes collected from a trap in Palm Springs tested positive for West Nile virus, according to the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District.
A statement issued Friday morning said these were the first samples of mosquitoes to test positive for the virus in Palm Springs this year.
The trap was located near the intersection of Mesquite Avenue and Gene Autry Trail. The mosquito samples were tested at the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District laboratory.
District staff will post disease notification signs in neighboring communities and will intensify mosquito surveillance with an increase in traps. A statement said technicians would also carry out larval and adult control as necessary in the surrounding area in an effort to reduce the number of mosquitoes and interrupt further virus transmission.
“Just one bite from an infected mosquito can make a person sick,” said Jennifer Henke, District Laboratory Manager. “This is why we urge everyone to cover up and use repellent at dawn and dusk when virus-carrying mosquitoes are the most active.”
West Nile is transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes are infected when they feed on birds carrying the virus. Most individuals infected with the West Nile Virus will not experience any illness.
Others will experience flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, and body aches. In severe cases, people will need to be hospitalized, and in rare cases, the disease can be fatal. Young children, people over 50 years old, or individuals with lowered immune systems are at greater risk of experiencing severe symptoms when infected. Anyone with symptoms should contact their health care provider.
This brings the total number of West Nile-positive mosquito samples to 16 this year. Other positive mosquitoes have been collected in Coachella, Indio, and Thermal in the past week.
A woman who frequents Demuth Park in Palm Springs with her dog was surprised by the news.
Joan Bernstein, Cathedral City
“It’s kind of a surprise. I didn’t think we would get it down here,” Joan Bernstein, a Cathedral City resident said.
She said she’ll be making sure precautions are taken like getting rid of standing water at her home.
“I do that all the time because have a lot of fruit trees in my backyard, but West Nile is a whole other thing, That’s really scary,” Bernstein said.
