Second West Nile infected bird found

The Mid-Valley’s latest discovery of the West Nile virus is in western Sutter County.

A dead duck found two weeks ago north of Meridian tested positive for West Nile, David Whitesell, manager of the Colusa Mosquito Abatement District, said Wednesday. The district had shipped the bird to the state Department of Public Health for testing.

A small section of Sutter County near the Sacramento River lies within the Colusa district, which also covers about one-eighth of Colusa County.

It was Sutter County’s second report of a virus-killed bird, and the 21st in the Mid-Valley this summer, according to the state health department. Seventeen reports came from Butte County and two each from Sutter and Colusa counties.

The region’s lone human illness from West Nile this year was in Butte County, for a woman who was not hospitalized.

The death of birds from West Nile is the most common marker for the spread of the virus, which typically causes no symptoms in humans but in rare cases leads to flu-like symptoms, nerve damage and death. Fifty-nine Californians have contracted West Nile-linked illnesses this year.