Each year, the natural world reminds us that human health is inseparable from the conditions of the earth itself. In California this season, a convergence of heat and rainfall has driven West Nile virus cases to their highest point in five years, with the Sacramento region and counties like Butte bearing the sharpest burden. The virus moves quietly — most who carry it never know — yet for those already weakened by chronic illness, it can become something far more consequential. What unfolds now is less a sudden crisis than a slow reckoning with the environments we share with creatures far olde
California West Nile virus cases hit 5-year high amid heat and rain surge
Multiple cases of West Nile virus infection reported across California counties, with chronic illness identified as a risk factor for severe outcomes.