First West Nile virus death confirmed in L.A. County, as studies show that drought conditions may increase risk

The archetypal recorded decease from West Nile microorganism this twelvemonth successful L.A. County was confirmed Friday by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The individual, whose details person been kept anonymous, was hospitalized successful the San Fernando Valley for neurological unwellness caused by the mosquito-borne virus. In Southern California, October is the mediate of mosquito season.

Across Los Angeles County, 14 West Nile microorganism infections person been documented successful 2025; fractional person been successful the San Fernando Valley.

L.A. has had an mean of 58 West Nile infections per twelvemonth since 2020, with an mean of 1 decease per year, according to information from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

West Nile microorganism affects astir 2,000 Americans a year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Viral corruption tin person a fig of symptoms, with mild unwellness symptoms consisting of fever, headache, assemblage aches, vomiting, rash oregon diarrhea, the CDC says.

A much terrible and concerning lawsuit tin origin cervix stiffness, stupor, disorientation, tremors, convulsions, musculus weakness, imaginativeness loss, numbness, oregon paralysis. Officials pass that the effects of terrible unwellness could beryllium imperishable oregon effect successful death.

In immoderate cases, corruption does not origin symptoms.

The California Public Health Department notes that determination are a fig of taxon wrong the Culex mosquito genus, which is simply a superior bearer of the virus, recovered passim Los Angeles County.

The San Fernando Valley country precocious suffered from h2o outages and has, implicit the past 12 months, consistently experienced below-average rainfall and drought conditions.

In a 2025 survey from the National Institutes of Health, probe showed that droughts raised hazard factors for West Nile virus. Data from much than 50,000 traps revealed that portion drought conditions reduced wide mosquito populations and lasting bodies of water, it consolidated the infected mosquitos and birds, which besides transportation the disease, astir constricted h2o sources. The effect is faster transmission complaint among the smaller populations, which spell connected to infect humans. In the San Fernando Valley, wherever drought conditions are expect to proceed done a adust La Niña season, the reduced h2o sources whitethorn pb to higher corruption rates.

To debar contracting West Nile virus, the CDC recommends reducing extracurricular activities during the daytime, erstwhile mosquitos are astir active. Officials besides accidental that emptying oregon replacing containers of lasting h2o (where mosquitos thin to breed), installing model screens, and wearing protective tegument coverings oregon utilizing insect repellent erstwhile extracurricular tin besides trim exposure.