Officials confirmed Wednesday a second human case of West Nile
virus in Santa Clara County.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – Officials confirmed Wednesday a second human case of West Nile virus in Santa Clara County.
The 54-year-old woman tested positive for the mosquito-borne virus three weeks after this county’s first human case was confirmed.
She lives in South San Jose, near one of two neighborhoods sprayed with a mosquito-fighting insecticide Sept. 1. A second application, or fogging, was scheduled for early this morning in the Santa Teresa-area neighborhoods.
“The first fogging was a success with a reduction of at least 60 percent of the adult mosquitoes in the two areas,” Vector Control District Manager Tim Mulligan said in a statement Thursday. “But the recent discovery of three more infected groups of mosquitoes indicate the virus is still a threat in these areas, so a repeat of the fogging is necessary.”
Vector control officials will use the same product, Prytherin, derived from the extract of chrysanthemum flowers, used in last week’s spraying.
A mist of fine aerosol droplets will be dispensed between midnight and 4am today to kill adult mosquitoes on contact.
West Nile is a flu-like virus transmitted to humans and horses by mosquitoes that have bitten infected birds. So far this year, 63 positive birds have been found in the county and vector control technicians have identified five positive mosquito pools in south San Jose. Last year, the virus was not detected in the mosquito population in Santa Clara County.
Through Tuesday, there were 521 human cases and nine deaths statewide. Last year, 28 Californians died from West Nile.
For information on how to protect yourself against the virus, visit www.westnile.ca.gov. For information on today’s spraying, visit www.sccvector.org.
