West Nile virus-positive mosquitoes found in San Jose, Santa Clara County to handle it with pesticide

Santa Clara County officials will be spraying pesticide in parts of San Jose and unincorporated Santa Clara County next week after finding West Nile virus-positive mosquitoes in the area.

People living in ZIP codes 95127 and 95140 east of Alum Rock and centered around Calco Creek Drive may see a truck rolling around the area around 10 p.m.that night, spraying pesticide to reduce adult mosquito populations as long as the weather permits. The treatment will last between two to four hours.

This is the first West Nile virus treatment in the county this year. This kind of treatment has been used regularly since 2003 to reduce mosquito populations with West Nile virus.

According to the county, adult mosquitoes are the primary carriers of vector-borne viruses that cause illnesses in humans. The adult-mosquito-control treatments are meant to reduce the mosquito population in the area and decrease the risk of a West Nile virus infection in humans.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some of the symptoms of West Nile virus include fever, headache, body aches, joint paints, vomiting, diarrhea or rash, but most people with the infection may not develop any symptoms.

Some people may develop symptoms of severe illness affecting the central nervous system, such as encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, or meningitis, inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. The elderly and people with pre-existing medical conditions or who have received organ transplants are at greater risk for severe illness if infected, the CDC stated.

Santa Clara County officials stated that there is an increase in West Nile virus during the summer and early fall due to the warm weather that allows mosquitoes to thrive. The county also tracks the presence of diseases spread through bites from infected mosquitoes, including West Nile virus, St. Louis encephalitis and western equine encephalitis.

Residents who live in the ZIP codes where the county plans to spray the pesticide were notified through mail, AlertsSCC, email and Nextdoor.