The West Nile virus, which caused so much panic in all the tropical and temperate regions in the United States and California, is spreading in Los Angeles County too. Since people don’t know exactly how to protect themselves, they are more and more exposed to the danger of getting the virus and developing the disease.

Jack Austin, a common resident from Duarte, was bitten by a mosquito carrying the West Nile Virus. He managed to recover, but he doesn’t remember how everything happened. He stayed 9 days in hospital in July and 20 days in rehab in August. Austin told the Los Angeles Times that “the virus came on – boom – and it hit me fast.” He now uses a cane to walk but is expected to fully recover.

The West Nile virus commonly infects birds, but it can also infect humans, dogs, bats, horses and rabbits. Humans are mainly infected with the virus through the bite of an infected mosquito. The genetic material of the West Nile Virus is a single strand of RNA which has between 11,000 and 12,000 nucleotides long.

The virus has three effects on humans and they are all different. The first one is an asymptomatic infection; the second is a mild febrile syndrome and the third is a neuroinvasive disease, also called West Nile meningitis or encephalitis. West Nile virus is transmitted through mosquito vectors, which bite and infect birds. These birds are only hosts of the virus.

The first death caused by the virus in Los Angeles was reported on Friday. The man had 83 years old and he lived in the southern part of the country, but the authorities haven’t reported his identity yet. Four other deaths were reported so far this year in Southern California, two of which were in Orange County and one in San Bernardino County.

Older people are at a higher death risk because of the infected bite of the mosquito and this year seems to be the worst since 2004.

So far this year, the disease has spread 50% more than last year and the health officials advise the residents to use insect repellent, to put screens on their windows and throw the standing water. The mosquitoes are more active during the evening and the night, so long pants and long-sleeved shirts would be a solution of protection.

The West Nile virus appeared in the United States as a problem in 1999 and in California in 2003. 29 people died and 779 others were infected in California during the year of 2004. In the next two years, the infections declined, but last year rose them up again.

The manager of the Sacramento-Yolo County Mosquito and Vector Control District, David Brown told the Los Angeles Times that they were near “the end of this mosquito control season” and that next year will come with a bigger impact of the virus.