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A dead crow found and collected in Portola Valley has tested positive for West Nile virus, according to the San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District. The Portola Valley resident who reported on the dead crow on Monday, Sept. 9, received a call about the positive case on Sept. 11.
“Our staff are setting additional mosquito traps in nearby areas to check mosquito population abundance and will test trapped mosquitoes for West Nile virus,” said Rachel Curtis-Robles, the Vector Control District’s public health education and outreach officer.
In San Mateo County, a total of 26 dead birds have tested positive for West Nile virus as of Sept. 11. The Vector Control District reports that no mosquitoes in the county have tested positive for the virus in 2024. Outside of the county, mosquitoes have tested positive for the West Nile virus in parts of San Jose, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, according to the Santa Clara County Vector Control District.
Curtis-Robles advises the public to take precautions when traveling out of San Mateo County by using EPA-registered insect repellent.
“About 1 in 5 people who become infected with West Nile virus will have symptoms like fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and vomiting in the days after being bitten by a mosquito,” said Curtis-Robles.
The virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito. Older adults and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of severe illness if infected.
The San Mateo County Vector Control District asks community members to dump standing water to prevent mosquito breeding, report biting mosquitoes to the district and to use EPA-registered insect repellent when outdoors in the evening and early morning.
Dead birds should be reported to the West Nile virus dead bird hotline at 877-968-2473.
For more information on West Nile virus activity in San Mateo County, visit smcmvcd.org. For information on all reported cases in California visit westnile.gov.
