BuzzZZZzzzZZZzzzz.
We all know the sound of the ugly little predator dancing around our ears late at night. It's the mosquito!
Carried by contaminated mosquitoes, West Nile Virus killed 19 and sickened 880 Californians in 2005. There have not yet been any reported cases of WNV in San Francisco, but conditions are getting ripe for an outbreak.
The virus is spread by migratory birds. Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds and the main route of human infection is through the bite of an infected mosquito.
Global Warming and Climate Change
Global warming is causing birds to migrate earlier. Record rains this past winter have created ideal mosquito-breeding conditions. The recent record-setting heat wave experienced locally has provided mosquitoes with an incubator in which their eggs, floating on warm standing water, hatch by the millions.
People Living with AIDS
People with weakened immune systems may become very ill from WNV and need to take special precautions to protect themselves from infection. For more information on West Nile Virus in San Francisco and how to protect yourself, visit the special WNV web site created by San Francisco Environment here.
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