By admin 
A Yolo County resident has died from complications of West Nile virus, the county announced on Tuesday. The death was the first of the year in the county and at least the seventh statewide, as public health agencies around the state reported an uptick in the number of mosquitoes testing positive for the virus this year.
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The person who died suffered from neurological complications of the disease, which affect about one in 150 people infected, according to a county news release. Two other people reported neurological symptoms in 2026. Only one case was reported in the county last year.
No details about the person’s age, gender or area of residence were released.
“Our thoughts are with those who are grieving the loss of this community member to West Nile virus,” Yolo County Health Officer Dr. Joanna Locke said in the news release. Older people and those who are immunocompromised face a higher risk of severe illness, Locke said.
West Nile virus is the most common mosquito-borne illness in the state. Roughly 5% of people infected develop symptoms including fever, headaches, body aches, nausea and vomiting. More severe neurological symptoms, which affect fewer people, can lead to hospitalization and death.
Six previous West Nile virus-related deaths have been reported in the state this year, according to the California Department of Public Health. State data showed deaths among residents of Glenn, Kings, Sacramento and Los Angeles counties, with one death in each county, and two in Butte County.
Sacramento County officials had not publicly announced its county’s death as of Tuesday.
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There have been 363 cases of neurological symptoms linked to West Nile virus nationwide this year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
California has had 86 confirmed cases of the virus this year, federal data show. That’s more than twice the state’s five-year average through this week, and a near-fourfold increase compared to last year, according to state public health data.
Yolo County health officials discovered a dead bird infected with the disease near Woodland in June and reported the year’s first sample containing the virus in early July. The county reported its first human West Nile virus infection of the year in early August and has now reported three confirmed cases.
“West Nile virus activity remains elevated throughout our region,” said Gary Goodman, who leads the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District. “We are entering the time of year when mosquito populations and virus activity typically remain high.”
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