California has recorded its first West Nile virus death of 2026 after a Kings County resident died from the mosquito-borne illness, health officials announced Monday.
The death comes weeks after Kings County confirmed its first human case of the 2026 season, according to KGPW.
The infection was detected almost two weeks later than the county’s first case in 2025.
“We are saddened to report that a Kings County resident has passed away due to West Nile Virus,” Rose Mary Rahn, director of the Kings County Department of Public Health, said in a statement.
According to the Kings County Department of Public Health, there have now been three reported West Nile virus cases in the county this year, including the fatal infection.
Health officials warned that while most people infected with West Nile virus have no symptoms or only a mild flu-like illness, the disease can become severe or fatal, especially in older adults and those with underlying health conditions.
In its most severe form, the virus attacks the nervous system, causing fever, severe headache, stiff neck, rash, joint pain, confusion, and altered consciousness.
Survivors of serious infections can also be left with permanent neurological complications, including paralysis and long-term cognitive impairment.
“This loss underscores the serious risks associated with WNV,” Rahn said.
“It is still early in the WNV season, and we continue to urge all residents to take preventative measures against mosquito bites, including eliminating standing water where mosquitoes can breed.”
There is currently no vaccine available for West Nile virus, leaving prevention as the best defense against infection.
Health officials urged residents to protect themselves by using insect repellents with DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535; avoiding mosquitoes at dawn and dusk when they are most active; ensuring window and door screens have no holes; and draining standing water from containers around their homes where mosquitoes breed.
Officials said taking simple precautions remains the best way to reduce the risk of infection during West Nile virus season.
