Valley man is first in county with West Nile virus to die this year

An elderly San Fernando Valley man infected with West Nile virus has died, public health officials said Friday.

The man, in his 80s, is the first Los Angeles County resident with the virus to die this year, although health officials are uncertain whether his death this month was caused by the virus or by multiple chronic medical problems.

In the last 10 days, three other Los Angeles County residents were discovered to be infected with West Nile, including a middle-aged San Fernando Valley man and an elderly Los Angeles man.

Two Orange County residents, a 21-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man, and one person in San Bernardino County have tested positive for the virus in the first confirmed human cases there, health officials said Friday.

Los Angeles County officials began clearing vegetation this week from the Pacoima Wash, an active mosquito breeding ground, in Panorama City.

Six other California residents have died from the mosquito-borne disease this year; three of the deaths were in Kern County, the epicenter of the virus, according to the state Department of Public Health.

West Nile cases have increased statewide, with 120 confirmed human cases compared with 68 at this time last year, according to state health data. The virus has been detected in 45 of California’s 58 counties.

With strong mosquito abatement efforts in place, the virus has not hit Los Angeles County particularly hard this year, said Dr. Laurene Mascola, chief of the acute communicable disease control program for the county Department of Public Health.

The disease is spread to humans by a bite from an infected mosquito. The insects catch the virus from infected birds. West Nile symptoms can include fever, headache and nausea, and can occasionally lead to encephalitis and death.

August and September are prime months for West Nile, said Ken August, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Health.

Elderly people and those with weakened immune systems are at the highest risk for contracting West Nile, public health officials said. There is no treatment.

Health officials recommend that people protect themselves by wearing long sleeves and pants, using insect repellent, installing window screens and eliminating pools of standing water that attract mosquitoes.

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susannah.rosenblatt@ latimes.com