A San Fernando Valley resident is the first person in L.A. County to die this year from West Nile virus, a mosquito-transmitted illness that can cause lethal inflammation in the brain.

The L.A. County Department of Public Health reported on Thursday that the patient died from neurological illness caused by severe West Nile. So far in 2024, there have been 14 confirmed cases of the virus in the county and 63 in the state, according to state and county public health departments.

“To the family and friends grieving the loss of a loved one due to West Nile virus, we extend our heartfelt condolences,” said Muntu Davis, L.A. County health officer. “This tragic loss highlights the serious health risks posed by mosquito-borne diseases, such as West Nile virus, dengue, and others.”

West Nile virus is the most common mosquito-borne disease that harms residents in L.A. County. The disease lives in infected birds and is transmitted to humans via mosquito bites.

Davis recommended Angelenos take simple steps to protect themselves from mosquito bites. This includes using insect repellent, getting rid of items that hold standing water around the home — such as flowerpots and bird baths — and using screens on doors and windows to keep mosquitoes out.

Most people who are infected will not experience any symptoms, but 1 in 5 will suffer a fever with symptoms including:

• headache
• body ache
• joint pain
• vomiting
• diarrhea
• rash

About 1 in 150 people will experience more severe symptoms such as high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness and paralysis, according to the World Health Organization. The Department of Public Health recommends anyone with severe symptoms call their doctor immediately.

In serious cases, the virus can cause inflammation of the brain or spinal cord, leading to permanent neurological damage or death. People older than 50 and those with health problems are at greater risk of complications, according to the Public Health Department.

The disease was first found in Africa before being discovered in the U.S. in 1999 and California in 2003. Since then the state has reported more than 300 deaths and 7,500 cases.

This year, there have also been deaths reported in Santa Clara County, Contra Costa County and Fresno County. Orange County reported its first case of West Nile in August, but so far there have been no deaths.

A respiratory virus that in rare cases can cause polio-like paralysis in children is on the rise in California and across the nation, according to wastewater analyses.

Enterovirus D68 was detected in 207 out of 268 samples taken from wastewater sites across the nation in the last 10 days, says the nonprofit WastewaterSCAN.

In the same time period, EV-D68 was detected at a medium level at 17 wastewater sites in California, including facilities in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento and San Jose. Because humans shed viruses in waste, wastewater sampling is used to measure the prevalence of infection in a community.

Most people who contract EV-D68 will experience slight respiratory symptoms or none at all, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nevertheless, its spread is troubling because the virus can lead to a rare and debilitating neurological condition called acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM.

AFM attacks motor neurons in the spinal cord’s gray matter, which controls movement. This causes muscles and reflexes to weaken and, in severe cases, can lead to paralysis and death, according to the CDC.

Around 90% of cases occur in children, and there is no known treatment.

Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, an epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert with the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, told The Times that the best way to avoid contracting EV-D68 is to practice common respiratory hygiene.

“This is covering your coughs and sneezes, it’s washing hands,” he said, “If you’ve been around someone who’s coughing and sneezing … make sure that you haven’t touched contaminated surfaces that they’ve been touching or shared cups or utensils.”

This year, the CDC has confirmed 13 cases of AFM, including one in California, as of Sept. 3.

The largest known outbreak of the illness took place in 2018, when 238 cases were confirmed across the country. Cases also spiked in 2014 and 2016.

Most cases of EV-D68 will be mild and feel like a common cold. However, children with asthma are at higher risk of experiencing more severe symptoms, according to the CDC.

Here are some common symptoms of EV-D68:

• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Cough
• Body aches
• Wheezing and difficulty breathing

If the virus progresses to cause AFM, symptoms include:

• Arm or leg weakness
• Difficulty swallowing or slurred speech
• Difficulty moving the eyes and drooping in the eyelids and face

Kim-Farley recommends people seek medical care if they develop any evidence of paralysis or weakness in the limbs or muscles after having had a respiratory or fever-inducing illness one to two weeks prior.

The paralysis caused by AFM is very similar to that caused by polio — which, like EV-D68, is also an enterovirus.

Polio was eradicated in the Unites States in 1979, thanks to a widespread vaccination campaign, according to the CDC. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine for EV-D68.

“Even though [EV-D68] is not vaccine-preventable, it’s always a good opportunity to realize there are other diseases that cause paralysis, like polio, that are vaccine-preventable” and against which children can be inoculated, Kim-Farley said.

He also recommended getting the latest COVID-19 vaccine.

Testifying Tuesday before the House Ways and Means Committee, Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre said in a prepared statement that he was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Favre, 54, was testifying about welfare abuses in Mississippi and allegations that he and others used Temporary Assistance for Needy Families state funds for personal and corporate gains. Favre, who earned about $140 million during a 20-year NFL career that ended in 2010, said in his statement that he was unaware he was receiving welfare funds and was misled by public officials.

A Mississippi state audit found that $5 million in TANF funds paid for the construction of a volleyball arena at the University of Southern Mississippi — Favre’s alma mater — and that $1.7 million was paid to Prevacus, a company developing concussion medication. Favre’s daughter was a volleyball player at Southern Mississippi at the time and Favre is an investor in Prevacus, whose founder, Jacob VanLandingham, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in July.

Favre, who has not been charged criminally, repaid $1.1 million in TANF money for speeches he never gave. The Mississippi Department of Human Services filed a civil lawsuit against him and other defendants, citing text messages between Favre and officials as evidence of his involvement in embezzling funds.

Favre, a Green Bay Packers legend, played in more than 300 NFL games and has long advocated research into concussions and resulting brain trauma. Asked on the “Today” show in 2018 how many concussions he suffered, Favre replied that he was diagnosed with “three or four” but believed the true number was far higher.

“When you have ringing of the ears, seeing stars, that’s a concussion,” Favre said on the show. “And if that is a concussion, I’ve had hundreds, maybe thousands, throughout my career, which is frightening.”

A 2020 study published in the journal Family Medicine and Community Health determined that “regardless of age, sex, socioeconomic status and residence, having suffered a single concussion in one’s lifetime increased the likelihood of later being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease by 57%.”

“Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others, and I’m sure you’ll understand why it’s too late for me because I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s,” Favre told the House committee Tuesday.

Favre was portrayed in court filings in the embezzlement case as a willing participant in the scheme that allegedly diverted millions of dollars meant for the poorest people in the nation’s poorest state.

Court documents and text messages outlined his alleged involvement in diverting TANF money. Favre and then-Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant discussed via text using $5 million to help build the volleyball arena at Southern Mississippi.

Favre also exchanged text messages with Nancy New, executive director of the education center responsible for allocating millions in government funds.

“If you were to pay me, is there any way the media can find out where it came from and how much?” Favre reportedly asked her in 2017.

New, who later pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts of fraud, bribery and racketeering for her role in the theft of TANF funds, replied: “We never have that information publicized.”

Journalist Anna Wolfe of Mississippi Today revealed the payouts in a Pulitzer Prize-winning series of articles starting in April 2022.