Season’s First Case of West Nile Reported

An unidentified resident in his or her 60s has become the first person in Ventura County to test positive this year for West Nile virus, public health officials said Friday.

Health officials said the individual was not hospitalized and has not shown severe symptoms of the disease. Officials said they did not know where the person contracted the mosquito-borne virus and that it was detected through a routine blood test.

Two Ventura County residents contracted West Nile last year. This year, the disease has been found in three dead birds and a pool of mosquitoes. Statewide, 64 people in 15 counties have tested positive.

“There isn’t any more real cause for alarm this year than last year,” said Kim Kandarian, coordinator of the county’s Communicable Disease Office. “Everyone needs to be alert and continue to manage their homes and their environments appropriately.”

Health officials recommend that residents use insect repellent, fit doors and windows with secure screens and eliminate sources of standing water where mosquitoes can breed.