Long Beach residents who spend time outside should keep a watchful eye out for bug bites and symptoms of the West Nile Virus, according to city officials.
The Long Beach Health Department confirmed last week the city’s first recorded human case of the West Nile Virus this year.
Dr. Mitchell Kushner, a Long Beach city health officer, said that this year Long Beach is actually seeing a downturn in the number of human cases with West Nile Virus. Kushner said that at this same time last year Long Beach had already seen 28 cases.
California State University, Long Beach Health Resource Center Coordinator Heidi Girling said that California’s abnormally hot summer combined with the state’s drought conditions create an ideal environment for mosquito breeding.
The West Nile Virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito with symptoms developing three to 14 days after being bitten, Girling said.
The symptoms for West Nile Virus are similar to symptoms of other diseases like the flu or meningitis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC website also noted that approximately 80 percent of people who are infected show no symptoms, and about one in 150 may develop a more serious disease, such as brain inflammation or paralysis.
“You are more likely to get an STD or be in a car accident than to die from West Nile Virus,” Girling said.
As of Sept. 11, 123 human cases and two West Nile Virus related deaths have been reported from 23 California counties, according to the Long Beach Health Department.
Girling said CSULB’s health resource center has not seen any student cases of West Nile Virus to report. She also said that if a student believes they are showing severe symptoms to go straight to a hospital because Student Health Services is only equipped to provide primary care, not extensive care.
In a very small number of cases, West Nile Virus has been spread through blood transfusions, transplants and from mother-to-child, according to the CDC. The website noted that the West Nile Virus is not spread through casual contact such as touching or kissing a person with the virus.
Long Beach continues active surveillance for mosquito populations and works to control known public breeding locations such as ponds, wetlands, pools and flood channels, according to Health Department officials.
“I own bug spray, but I don’t normally wear it,” Kaylee Turner, a senior dance science major at CSULB, said. “I didn’t think there were many mosquitos in Long Beach.”
Kushner said most people do not even know they have West Nile Virus and that it is mainly the elderly population with underlying medical conditions that are at risk of developing severe symptoms.
The CDC recommends using repellents containing DEET, an insect repellent used in products to prevent bites from mosquitos, biting flies, fleas and small flying insects, and wearing long sleeves when out from dusk to dawn while mosquitos are most active. Residents should also make sure to have good window and door screens and get rid of mosquito breeding sites by eliminating standing water from flowerpots, buckets and pet dishes, according to the CDC.
“Once you have been infected by West Nile Virus your body build up antibodies to the virus,” Kushner said. “Typically, this prevents you from contracting the virus again, unless your immune system is severely suppressed.”