LA County West Nile infections jump to 135 as Long Beach reports its first death since 2017
The county's count jumped by 35 in a single week, with five deaths. Long Beach, which tracks its own cases, reported its first West Nile death since 2017. More than two months of mosquito season remain. LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County has now confirmed 135 West Nile virus infections this year, according to the Department of Public Health's weekly report released Friday, Sept. 25 up from 100 just a week earlier. Five people have died. Of the 135, 130 were hospitalized, and 120 developed neuroinvasive disease, the severe form of the illness that attacks the brain or spinal cord. When the county crossed 100 infections on Monday, Sept. 21, Public Health called it the highest count this early in the mosquito season in nearly a decade. The last time the county reached this level was 2017, when 268 cases were reported for the full season. The department said then that the county is “on track for one of its most severe West Nile virus seasons in recent years.” West Nile vi...