Mosquitos in Visalia tested positive for West Nile Virus, the Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency said Thursday.

Sampling from a mosquito trap in southwest Visalia tested positive.

Delta Vector Control District, the testing agency, and the Tulare County Health & Human Service Agency’s Public Health Branch are asking Visalia residents to be vigilant against mosquito bites.

West Nile Virus is an illness caused by the bite of an infected mosquito.

Symptoms can vary in severity, and though most individuals experience minimal to no effects, symptoms can include fever, headache, body aches, skin rash, and swollen lymph nodes, while severe symptoms include disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, and paralysis, the agency said.

Anyone who experiences symptoms after being bitten should contact their doctor or local clinic.

Mosquitoes are infected with West Nile Virus by taking a blood meal from an infected bird.

It is imperative that community members take precautions to prevent being bitten by mosquitoes and report dead birds and incidences of high mosquito presence.

To reduce the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes, Tulare County residents are being urged to:

  • Report mosquito presence (anonymously, if you like) by calling the Delta Vector Control District, or your local vector control agency, toll-free, at 1-877-732-8606 or by reporting online at www.DeltaVCD.com, or on its Facebook page (www.facebook.com/DeltaVectorControlDistrict), Twitter (@DeltaVCD), or Instagram (@DeltaVCD) accounts.
  • Apply an EPA-registered insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535 according to label instructions, especially in the early morning and evening.
  • Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants if outside in the early morning and evening.
  • Make sure that doors and windows have tight-fitting screens to keep out mosquitoes. Repair or replace screens that have holes.
  • Eliminate standing water and containers that can hold water from around the home.

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