One of California’s first two cases of West Nile virus this year was discovered in Stevenson Ranch, kicking off what officials expect to be a busy West Nile season after a wet winter.
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reater Los Angeles County Vector Control District officials picked up a cedar waxwing carcass near Irving Road in Stevenson Ranch after a resident there called the district’s hot line, 1-888-WNV-BIRD.

There is no cure for the disease, which infected 112 Californians last year, killing four.

Vector control officials expect a busy virus season. Mosquitoes can transmit the disease to animals, including humans. They flourish in stagnant water and hot weather, both of which are plentiful this spring, district spokeswoman Crystal Brown said.

“Birds are a host for the virus, and once we find a positive bird, soon thereafter we’ll probably start to see positive mosquitoes,” Brown said.

One in five infected people will show symptoms, which include fever, headache, body aches, nausea and skin rash. Symptoms can last months, and one in 150 people infected will be hospitalized. A healthy person’s immune system will be able to fight off the disease, Brown said.

Children, seniors and those with weakened immune systems are more susceptible than others. The virus has shown up in California since 2003.

Because there’s no cure for the virus, prevention is the key, Brown said. She suggested removing stagnant water in unused swimming pools, backyard containers and street gutters.