A 46-year-old Stanislaus County woman was recently diagnosed with the first human case of West Nile virus in the county. Her identity and town of residence are being withheld.

According to Stanislaus County Health Services Agency, the patient was diagnosed by a private physician as having a neuroinvasive form of West Nile disease. This is the severe form of WNV, and the patient is currently hospitalized.

"Diagnosis is based upon a specific set of laboratory tests showing recent development of antibodies to the virus. Preliminary screening [was] done locally," said Dr. John Walker, Stanislaus County Public Health Officer.

The health officer said that confirmatory tests [were] done at the state Public Health Laboratory. "We waited for confirmatory tests to make the definitive diagnosis."

Walker reported this week that West Nile virus activity is rapidly increasing in the Central Valley. "We must make every effort to stop mosquitoes from breeding and take precautions with our families," he said.

SCHSA statements on the West Nile virus notes that the disease is not spread from person-to-person. It is transmitted to humans and animals through a mosquito bite. Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds. People typically develop symptoms from two to 15 days after they are bitten by an infected mosquito.

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