Officials Confirm Case of Mosquito-Borne Disease
Riverside County health officials Wednesday reported California’s first confirmed case since 1998 of western equine encephalomyelitis, a disease that can attack the central nervous system.
The disease, carried by mosquitoes, was confirmed in a blood sample from one of several chickens posted in the county by health officials to provide early detection of diseases. The chicken was in Blythe, near the Colorado River and the Arizona border.
No humans were believed to have contracted the disease as of Wednesday evening, Murray said.
Western equine encephalomyelitis is rarely serious--most healthy adults report mild symptoms such as headaches and fever--but can be severe and even fatal among young children and seniors.
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