Central San Joaquin Valley man dies from Saint Louis Encephalitis virus, officials say
A Madera County man in his 90s died in August from the Saint Louis Encephalitis virus, the county health department reported Thursday.
The county said it is the first confirmed case of SLEV in California this year and the first in Madera County since 1976.
The health department, through preliminary testing, thought it was the West Nile virus before the test confirmed it was SLEV.
Madera County Public Health Officer Simon Paul said through a news release “the risk for St. Louis Encephalitis remains low in Madera County.”
He offered advice, saying “you can decrease your risk by using EPA-registered repellent to keep mosquitoes from biting you, mosquito proofing your home through the use of properly fitting doors and screens, and not allowing standing water to collect in your home or yard.”
Saint Louis Encephalitis is transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito, the health department said.
A test was done in a Madera pool and came back positive. Mosquito abatement control was notified at the time of the original diagnosis and has been spraying in the areas where the positive tests were localized.
The health department said SLEV is like the West Nile virus in which the infections happen in the brain and paralysis could occur. Deaths are rare, health officials said.
Symptoms include fever, headache, stiff neck, confusion and decreased alertness. People over 50 years of age or with weakened immune systems are at greater risk.
There is no vaccine, health officials said.
This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 7:13 PM.
