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West Nile virus strikes 3 in Riverside County
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A field sample of mosquitoes that could carry West Nile Virus.
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Riverside County is reporting its first confirmed human cases of West Nile virus this year. Public health officials say there say three women contracted the mosquito-borne illness last month.
None of women are related to one another, and each fell ill in different locations.
A 44-year-old woman from Corona got sick last month and spent some time in the hospital. A 63-year-old woman from Norco also checked into a hospital after she was infected. Another woman, age 36, from Beaumont also fell ill and is recovering at home.
The three represent the first confirmed human cases of West Nile in the county in two years. In 2009 the virus sickened five people, killing three of them.
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Mosquito bites transmit the seasonal virus that can cause severe flu-like symptoms and even death. Older people are most at risk, but it’s not uncommon for healthy people in their 30s and 40s to become infected and suffer debilitating long-term symptoms.
Public health officials have confirmed about 50 human cases of the virus in California so far this year.
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