Overview
- Health officials announced Wednesday that Santa Clara County has confirmed its first two human West Nile cases of 2026 and detected infected mosquito pools in the county.
- Federal data show mid-year human West Nile counts at their highest in more than two decades, reflecting a broader early-season rise in virus activity.
- Local mosquito programs reported unusually large numbers of positive mosquito samples this summer, including about 206 positives in Orange County and more than 200 positives in Davis County, Utah.
- Vector-control agencies have increased trapping, testing and inspections and are preparing targeted abatement steps such as larvicide treatments and possible nighttime adulticide spraying while notifying affected neighborhoods in advance.
- Public-health officials stress there is no human vaccine, older adults face higher risk of severe illness, and residents should use repellent and remove standing water even though high mosquito positivity has not yet produced large local human case totals in every area.