Second West Nile Virus Case Confirmed in Riverside County

Another human case of West Nile Virus has been confirmed in western Riverside County, health officials said today.

The patient is a 22-year-old man who is recovering at home after being hospitalized, according to Jose Arballo Jr., spokesperson for the County of Riverside Department of Public Health.

It marks the second confirmed human case in the county this year; involving a 52-year-old man who also lives in western Riverside County. The victim in the first case was also recovering.

"No other information about the case is currently available and there is no indication the two human cases are connected," Arballo said.

Health officials further announced today that mosquito spraying is planned tomorrow in parts of Beaumont as a precautionary measure following the discovery of a number of West Nile-carrying mosquitoes in the city, where no human infections have been reported.

Spraying occurred Friday in Blythe after WNV-infected mosquitoes were netted near Mayflower Park. However, no human cases have been reported in that desert community.

Now county vector control officials say they're planning to conduct anti- insect spraying in several pockets of Beaumont, including a lightly populated area around Minnesota Avenue and First Street, and a residential area along Palmer Avenue and Morris Street, which borders Calimesa.

According to the county Department of Public Health, part of a sample of 50 mosquitoes netted in the vicinity of Morris and Palmer tested positive for WNV last week.

Officials said spraying will occur between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Sixty-nine cases of human infection have been reported statewide in the last few months, according to the California Department of Public Health. The largest number of cases have been concentrated in Northern California.

There have been five WNV-related fatalities this year, state health officials said.

In Riverside County, 11 people were infected last year. None of them died. The last known West Nile-related fatality in the county occurred in 2008, according to health officials.

Mosquitoes typically become carriers of the virus after feeding on an infected bird and can then spread the potentially lethal strain to animals and humans.

Symptoms may never materialize, but can include fever, headache, nausea, body aches, skin rashes and swollen lymph nodes. Fatal cases are rare.

Mosquito season in Southern California generally spans the months of May through October. To reduce exposure to West Nile virus during this period, residents were urged to take the following steps:

-- spend as little time as possible outdoors at dawn or dusk, when mosquitoes are most active;

-- wear pants and long-sleeved shirts during outdoor activity;

-- use insect repellent;

-- ensure door and window screens are fitted properly to keep bugs out; and

-- get rid of standing water, aside from pools properly treated with chemicals.

The California Department of Public Health asks anyone who finds a dead crow, raven, magpie or jaybird to call the West Nile hotline at 877-968-2473.

—City News Service and Maggie Avants contributed to this report.