By admin 
California has recorded its first two West Nile virus deaths of 2026, with Glenn County health officials announcing a fatal case Tuesday, one day after Kings County reported the state’s first death of the year.
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Officials from the Glenn County Department of Health and Human Services, the Glenn County Mosquito & Vector Control Agency and the California Department of Public Health said the person who died lived in southern Glenn County. Officials did not release any additional identifying information, including the age of the person infected.
Kings County officials announced Monday that a resident of Lemoore had died about two weeks after becoming infected on July 20. It was the first known infection in the county this year. One person in the county remains infected, according to the latest CDPH data.
The California Department of Public Health reported 11 confirmed human West Nile virus infections from seven counties through July 31, including six new cases reported during the last week of July. The newest cases were reported in Butte, Kings, Santa Clara and Tulare counties, with Butte and Santa Clara recording their first human infections of the year.
Tulare County has reported the most human infections this year with three cases, followed by Butte with two. Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego and Santa Clara counties have each reported one confirmed case.
California recorded 113 confirmed human West Nile virus cases in 2025, including 11 deaths, according to the California Department of Public Health.
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State surveillance also has identified widespread West Nile virus activity beyond human infections. Through July 31, California had recorded 1,464 mosquito samples, 288 dead birds, 12 sentinel chickens and three horses that tested positive for the virus, according to CDPH.
West Nile virus is the leading mosquito-borne disease in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 2,000 people nationwide are diagnosed each year, although the agency says the true number is likely much higher because many infected people never develop symptoms or seek medical care.
So far in 2026, the CDC has reported 143 cases in 23 states, nearly 100 of which developed into neuroinvasive cases.
According to the CDC, about 20% of infected people develop mild symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea, rash and joint pain. Older adults, people with weakened immune systems and those with certain chronic medical conditions face the greatest risk of severe illness. About 10% of patients who develop severe neuroinvasive disease die from the infection.
Health officials said West Nile virus activity has started earlier than usual this year and urged residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites by using EPA-approved insect repellents, avoiding outdoor activity at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active, keeping door and window screens in good repair, and draining standing water around homes where mosquitoes breed.
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