West Nile Virus is hitting Californians hard. Four people have died of the virus in California and the disease is spreading. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently designated the counties of Kern - with 60% of the state's 64 cases - Colusa and San Joaquin, to be in a state of emergency, giving them access to a 1.35 million dollar fund. The high season (August and September). is just starting and there are already three times as many cases as there were last year in California.

West Nile originated in the Middle East but is now usual in North America. Humans and animals get WNV from the bites of mosquitoes that have fed on infected birds. WNV cannot be spread by an infected human which is good becuase most infected people experience no symptoms at all. Those who do have symptoms usually show signs (fever and flu-like symptome initally, sometimes progressing to disorientation, convulsions, tremors, and loss of vision.The symptoms last several weeks. Less than 1% with WNV become seriously ill.