West Nile virus announces its return with a faster spread this year

The onset of summer brings lots of humidity, high temperatures and the widely known West Nile virus. It is a disease that can be transmitted to humans through mosquito bites. The initial origins of the virus in the U.S. can be traced back to 1999. It had been prevalent in Colorado for many years now. Since this virus is related to the breeding of mosquitoes, the prime period for its spread starts in the spring and comes to an end in mid-September.

West Nile Virus

The virus has already spread across more counties in the state than last year but it is hard to tell if this season will be as severe as the last one. The last season reported 30 deaths due to the disease according to the local health officials. Places like Tulare, San Joaquin and Riverside counties were the worst affected. A statistic suggested that Riverside County has reported 57 samples that have been tested positive for the virus while on the other hand St. Bernardino had reported only 1.The presence of the West Nile virus is not limited to just the United States. The virus strain has been expanding at quite a fast pace all over the world. According to a report, the virus has been reported in 31 countries as compared to 21countries last year in the same period o time.

This time around the virus has been detected earlier than it usually is. Much of it can be attributed to the fact that California has had a four-year drought and the ever increasing temperatures in the region. The authorities started finding cases of West Nile in March although they are assumed to begin in mid-July. Greater Los Angeles county Vector Control District spokeswoman, Kelly Middleton said,” It was earlier this year because we had such a mild winter, but then we had that cold spell and that really dropped it for us.” She also indicates that in most of the areas the count was below average which is a good sign.

The virus has been deadly for California as last year it was responsible for the death of 31 people which was a record-high ever since the California Department of Public health began keeping a record for West Nile virus death in 2003.