West Nile virus has killed 8 people in California this year, 3 of those were from Los Angeles County. Experts say residents in L.A. County are at high risk of contracting the virus, especially in areas such as Los Feliz, Glendale, Atwater Village, and the San Fernando Valley.
The virus lives in birds, and mosquitoes become infected when they bite those birds. Humans then get the virus when an infected mosquito bites them.
So far 174 Californians have been infected this year. So, do we need to be concerned? Dr. Robert Winters joined us this afternoon to discuss. He's an infectious disease specialist at Westside Travel Medicine and Immunizations: