County officials have detected West Nile Virus in 2 birds for the 1st time this year in Santa Cruz County. The 1st positive bird was found in the Hermon Mt. area, and was submitted for testing on June 21st, while the 2nd was found near Summit Road and submitted for testing on June 23rd. According to the County of Santa Cruz Health Services, discovery of positive birds with West Nile Virus has been active in many counties in the state, including Santa Clara County. Currently, there have been no human cases reported in Santa Cruz County. Mosquito and Vector Control have been sent to the site to target mosquito-breeding sources within the area. West Nile Virus is transmitted to humans and animals by the bite of an infected mosquito and is not transmitted by casual person-to-person or animal-to-person contact. No human vaccine currently exists for the Virus.
