A person has died after being infected with the West Nile virus, San Bernardino County health officials said.
The death was reported Friday. The person's name, age and gender were not immediately made public.
The death was the seventh this year in California due to West Nile virus. The other fatalities occurred in Los Angeles, Glenn, Sacramento and San Joaquin counties.
The virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito that has fed on an infected bird.
Last year, one person died in San Bernardino County from the infection.
So far this year, West Nile Virus has been found in the San Bernardino County valley, mountains, High Desert and Colorado River Basin, the county's health department said last month.
In that announcement, health officials warned that the virus was continuing to spread through the county as summer wound down.
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To protect themselves against the virus, residents should empty pools of stagnant water and use an insect repellent containing the strong chemical compound DEET, especially at dawn and dusk in mosquito-prone areas.
Most people infected with the virus do not become sick or have only mild symptoms including fever, headache, nausea, body aches, and a mild skin rash. If they do appear, symptoms usually occur within three to 12 days after infection.
The elderly and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk for developing severe symptoms, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Dead birds should be reported by calling the county's health department. Stagnant swimming pools or "green pools" should be reported to the Public Health Environmental Health Bureau at 626-430-5200, or by calling a local vector control agency.
More information on West Nile Virus is available at 800-975-4448 or on the state's website.
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