Anaheim, California – Orange County is facing its first confirmed outbreak of West Nile virus this year after mosquito samples and a dead bird tested positive for the virus in Anaheim and Garden Grove. The discovery has prompted a public health advisory from the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District (OCMVCD), which is now ramping up mosquito surveillance and urging residents to take preventive measures.
The positive tests were found in four separate locations across the two cities, including neighborhoods near Euclid Avenue and the 5 Freeway in Anaheim, and around Brookhurst Street and Garden Grove Boulevard in Garden Grove. Though no human infections have been reported in the county so far this year, the combination of infected mosquitoes and a dead bird suggests the virus is now actively circulating in the area.
“Multiple mosquito samples and a dead bird testing positive for West Nile virus indicate that the virus is circulating in the community,” said Amber Semrow, Director of Scientific and Technical Services at OCMVCD. She added that Anaheim and Garden Grove are historically high-risk zones for the disease…