September 30, 2005 Eileen Shields, Public Information Officer,
415/554-2507 San Francisco Announces Second West Nile Virus Case
Patient Contracted Virus Outside of San Francisco San Francisco,
CA—San Francisco health officials have confirmed the City’s
second case of West Nile Virus (WNV). The patient, a middle aged
woman, is convalescing in a nursing care facility. Details of
the woman’s travel history and the WNV incubation period lead
disease control investigators to conclude that the woman
contracted the disease in the Sacramento area and not in San
Francisco. City officials expect cases in San Francisco
residents who travel to where West Nile Virus transmission is
active. “City residents need to stay vigilant about protecting
themselves and their neighbors from mosquito bites by preventing
mosquito breeding,” observed Rajiv Bhatia, MD, Director of
Environmental Health. “The elderly, the very young and anyone
with a chronic illness need to be especially careful by taking
personal precautions. This is a pr