As drought continues to plague the Western United States, public health officials are warning residents of the region about an unexpected side effect of the dry weather: a greater likelihood of contracting West Nile virus, Live Science reports.
This week, officials from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) confirmed that a 65-year-old woman in Nevada County, Calif., died from an infection with the mosquito-borne disease. She was the first person in the state to succumb to West Nile virus this year. Earlier this month, two people died from West Nile virus infections in Maricopa County, Arizona — an area that is also experiencing severe drought conditions.
The state's lack of rainfall is related to those growing numbers, according to public health officials. As natural freshwater sources dry up, certain mosquito species that need this water must rely more heavily on artificial water sources, like swimming pools and other small bodies of standing water, which are located in residential areas. Mosquitoes— as well as the birds that mosquitoes feed on — are two of the species drawn to the backyards of Californians and Arizonians in greater numbers during a drought, according to the CDPH.
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Source: Live Science