St. Louis Encephalitis and West Nile virus have been found in local mosquito pools.

The Imperial County Public Health Department confirmed that a mosquito pool in Imperial tested positive for St. Louis Encephalitis Virus (SLEV) and a separate pool in the Salton Sea Beach area tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV). The samples were collected June 25 and confirmed positive on June 28th. It's the first positive pool for SLEV and the second positive pool for West Nile Virus. Both SLEV and WNV are transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. There are no vaccines to protect from the virus. Individuals are urged to limit outdoor activity at dusk and dawn when mosquitos are most active. A list of symptoms and other precautions are available on the Health Departments website.