West Nile Virus Found in ... Beverly Hills?
Just in time for the impending heat wave (yeah, it's actually going to get even hotter), L.A. County officials announced that the West Nile Virus has been detected in tony Beverly Hills of all places.
Raul Aguilar Defez / Flickr
Now, before you blame that gilded city for being a dirty bird, note that the infected crow in question could have traveled as far as 10 miles. So the central L.A. basin and Westside in general should beware.
What is West Nile, you ask?
Symptoms range from nothing to putting you in a coma and causing permanent brain damage.
A dead American Crow found in them there hills tested positive for the virus, a Beverly Hills official confirmed to the Weekly. The county says the bird was found in the 90212 zip code, which is south of Wilshire Boulevard.
It got it like humans can get it -- through the bite of an infected mosquito.
Therefore officials urge that you drain and/or clean up any standing water in your area. Also, bug repellents such as Deet, picaradin, IR3535, and oil of lemon eucalyptus will keep these buggers off you, according to the county.
L.A. County vector control officials say mosquitos are more likely to get their chomp on during early dawn and dusk hours.
Think you might have contracted West Nile? Here's what to look for: severe headache, high fever, stiff neck, stupor (and not the alcoholic and or 420 kind), disorientation (ditto), tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, paralysis and coma.
Kern County, our neighbor to the north, recently reported both the first human case of West Nile this year in California and the state's first fatality.
No specific action is being taken in response to this latest find, but a Beverly Hills city official told us an announcement would be distributed to residents online tonight or tomorrow.
If you think you have tainted mosquitos in your neighborhood contact county vector control.
[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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