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A Santa Clara County resident was recently hospitalized with West Nile virus, the county Public Health Department said in a statement issued on Aug. 3.
The disease was contracted elsewhere in California, but the illness was reported to the county, the department said. The adult resident is now recovering at home.
“For reasons of medical privacy, no additional details about the individual’s illness will be released by the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department,” the department said.
West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne disease that causes mild to severe flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, and in severe cases, neurological symptoms or even death. Most people who contract the virus have mild or no symptoms and will recover quickly.
While the risk of serious illness from West Nile virus is low for most people, those older than 60 years of age, or with certain medical conditions, have a higher chance of getting sick and are more likely to develop health complications, the department said.
West Nile virus is circulating in mosquitoes and has been found in Palo Alto and in other areas of the county. The county’s Vector Control division sprayed treatments to kill adult mosquitoes in the Barron Park neighborhood in late July.
The county recommends reducing the risk of West Nile virus by draining standing water, such as flower pots, and following other prevention recommendations from County of Santa Clara Vector Control. More information about West Nile virus in California is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the State of California and the County of Santa Clara Vector Control District.
