Sacramento region’s first West Nile virus case of 2021 detected in dead birds
Sacramento County’s first positive West Nile virus cases of 2021 have been detected in dead birds.
The birds — three nestling scrub jays — were found recently in the Galt area, the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District said in a news release Wednesday.
“Finding the first indication of West Nile activity is always significant because it provides an early warning,” said Gary Goodman, manager of the mosquito and vector district, in a statement. “It confirms that the virus is present, shows us where we may find positive mosquito samples and where human cases may develop later in the season.”
The district says these are the first positive tests in Sacramento or Yolo in the 2021 West Nile season, though nearby San Joaquin County reported its first positive case about a week earlier.
Mosquito control workers will increase trapping and surveillance in Galt and surrounding areas “to find sources where mosquitoes may be breeding,” the district wrote.
This season’s first sign of West Nile in the region came about two weeks earlier than it did last year. Officials detected it first in 2020 in a dead bird in Elk Grove, in June. Yolo health officials reported the county’s first human case of that year three months later, in September.
The local district on its website, fightthebite.net, says ways of reducing mosquito activity and bites include draining standing water, avoiding outdoor activities at dawn or dusk and using insect repellent.
