A dead Cooper’s hawk in Ramona tested positive for West Nile virus, San Diego County officials said Wednesday, a virus that can be transmitted to humans from mosquitoes.
West Nile virus is mainly a bird disease, but it can be transmitted to humans by mosquitoes if they feed off an infected animal, mainly birds, and then bite people.
County officials said with warm temperatures still occurring in mid-November, people should still be on the lookout for pesky mosquitoes.
The Cooper’s hawk was the second dead bird to test positive for the virus in the county in 2019.
Two county residents have tested positive for the virus in 2019, but it was determined both people were bitten and contracted the virus in other counties, the county said.
In California, 184 people have become sick from the virus in 2019 and five people have died.
Symptoms are typically mild, including headache, fever, nausea, fatigue, skin rash or swollen glands. But in rare cases, West Nile virus can make people extremely ill and even kill them.
Local
For more information about mosquito-borne illnesses, go to San Diego County’s “Fight the Bite” website.
