Health officials on Friday confirmed the first human case of West Nile virus for the 2010 season in Los Angeles. The patient developed symptoms in mid-August and has since recovered, Xinhua quoted Los Angeles County's Public Health Department (LACPHD) as saying. As of Monday, officials around the county have detected the virus in 17 dead birds, 31 mosquito pools, two sentinel chickens and one squirrel so far this year, according to the department. The virus is often transmitted to humans by mosquitoes which obtain the virus by feeding on infected wild birds, but is not spread through person-to-person contact, or directly from birds to humans. In most cases, people who are infected with West Nile Virus never become sick, or have only very mild symptoms that include fever, headache, nausea, body aches, and a mild skin rash. Symptoms of West Nile virus could appear within three to 12 days after infection. Fewer than one in 150 people who are bitten by an infected mosquito become severely ill, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In these rare cases, the virus can cause encephalitis and death. The elderly are most at risk for severe cases of the disease. There is no specific treatment for West Nile virus. However, individuals with severe symptoms may be hospitalized. "West Nile virus is primarily spread through mosquito bites, so I encourage everyone to protect themselves from these pests," said Jonathan E. Fielding, director of LACPHD. "Get rid of pools of stagnant water around your home where mosquitoes breed, and use a repellent containing DEET or another approved repellent when outdoors in mosquito-prone areas, especially around dawn or dusk," he added.
