West Nile Mosquitoes Hit 10 Orange County Cities as Activity Runs Off the Charts
Updated
Updated · Patch · Jul 2
West Nile Mosquitoes Hit 10 Orange County Cities as Activity Runs Off the Charts
3 articles · Updated · Patch · Jul 2
Summary
West Nile-positive mosquitoes were confirmed in 10 Orange County cities this week, with new detections in Westminster and Costa Mesa prompting a July 4 warning to use repellent and avoid bites.
Orange County vector officials said mosquito abundance is running well above the five-year average after unusually warm, wet conditions and heavy rains followed by sudden heat.
Fullerton has logged five infected mosquito-trap finds, Buena Park four and Santa Ana two, while the other affected cities have each recorded one positive trap.
No human West Nile cases have been reported in Orange County this year, and officials said truck spraying has not begun yet despite 186 infected mosquito pools recorded last year.
The early surge is raising concern about a severe summer for mosquito-borne illnesses across Southern California, including West Nile, dengue and St. Louis encephalitis.