Weeks after West Nile virus was found in Sacramento area, Yolo County reports detection

Mosquito control officials detected the West Nile virus in northern Yolo County for the first time this week, raising some concerns as the start of summer approaches.

A mosquito sample in Knights Landing tested positive for the virus Tuesday, according to the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District.

West Nile is primarily spread by mosquitoes and can cause a high fever, headache and neck stiffness, or at worse vision loss, numbness and paralysis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“With the hot temperatures we had recently, West Nile virus activity is steadily increasing,” said Gary Goodman, who manages the mosquito district. “This year, activity has started earlier than in recent years.”

The first signs of West Nile in the region were detected in three birds, all California scrub jays that were found in Galt on May 17. More positive birds were later found in Orangevale and Citrus Heights.

“This is a cause for concern, especially as summer is around the corner and we are approaching the hottest months of the year when activity typically intensifies,” Goodman said in a prepared statement.

District officials said they will continue monitoring West Nile activity through mosquito trappings and will perform ground treatments in areas where positive tests have been found to quickly decrease populations.

Officials said they’re still concerned about an invasive mosquito known to carry Zika, chikungunya and dengue called the Aedes aegypti. It was discovered in the city of Winters and in the Arden Arcade area last year, officials said.