West Nile virus positive mosquitoes found in Sun Valley

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District confirmed Monday that the first West Nile virus positive mosquitoes for 2016 were found in Sun Valley.

District officials took a sample of mosquitoes from a trap in the area and confirmed that the population there is carrying the virus. The district urges residents to take precautions and plan ahead for a bite-free summer.

Residents are reminded that any size pool of standing water can become the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. Vector control district officials ask residents to do the following:

• Eliminate standing water in clogged rain gutters, rain barrels, discarded tires, buckets, watering troughs or anything that holds water for more than a week.
• Ensure that swimming pools, spas, and ponds are properly maintained.
• Change the water in pet dishes, birdbaths and other small containers weekly.
• Request free mosquitofish from your local vector control district for placement in ornamental ponds.
• Wear insect repellent when outdoors where mosquitoes may be present.
• Report neglected (green) swimming pools in your neighborhood to your vector control district.

The West Nile virus can be transmitted to people and animals through the bite of an infected mosquito. There is no cure for the virus and only one in five people will show symptoms.

The symptoms occur between five and 15 days after exposure and can include fever, headache, body aches, nausea or a skin rash. They can last anywhere from several days to a few months.

About one in 150 people infected with the virus will require hospitalization, according to the district. Severe symptoms of the virus include a high fever, muscle weakness, neck stiffness, coma, paralysis, and possibly death.

For more information, residents may call the vector district at (562) 944-9656 or visit its website at www.glacvcd.org.