August 6, 2026 • 5 mins
There have been four cases of West Nile Virus in San Diego County, and two related deaths in the Centra Valley. Veronica Carter and Bret Burkhart found out more from the medical director for Blue Shield of California's Promise Health Plan, Dr. Scott Flinn.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Last year, San Diego County saw no human cases of
the mosquito born West Nile virus. This year, however, we
have four and one of the cases was acquired locally.
There have also been two deaths from the virus in
California's Central Valley.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Joining us now on the Cogo News liveline, the medical
director for Blue Shield of California Promised health plan, doctor
Scott Flann, Thanks for coming back on Coco's Morning News.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Good morning, So let's talk.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
A little bit about West now virus. I have a
couple of mosquito bites on me right now. Oh no,
And of course, you know you start thinking, oh my gosh,
you know, how what are the chances of getting this,
what do we know about it? And what does it
do to you?
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Well, it's pretty rare, but it is out there, obviously,
if we've had four cases already in San Diego, and
what it does you Usually up to eighty percent of
people don't even get any symptoms, and about twenty percent
of people do get symptoms with which is a fever
and some headache, some aches and pains, and it's usually
a pretty mild disease. Rarely it can get pretty bad
(01:07):
and cause something bad called encephalitis, where it gets into
your and your lining of your brain and spinal cord
and can cause a very serious disease and very very
rarely even death.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
What about treatment if you discover that you've been infected?
What kind of treatment is available?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
There's no treatment for it, but there's supportive care if
you have a severe disease. So if you've been bitten
by a mosquito and you get fever and headaches and
a stiff neck, that's when we recommend you go in
and get checked.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Could you potentially live with it?
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Checked? It? Yeah, And if you do get it, it
gets to be the severe disease. What will happen is
though end up doing what's called supportive care. You end
up in the hospital. I'll probably get some steroids and
some other things like that and make sure that if
you have trouble breath they can help you with that
and support your basic functions.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
So the people that it becomes fatal in are they
usually already compromised or you know, elderly.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Yes, exactly. So people that are at higher risk, are
you men to compromise from cancer or something like that.
Older age which is defined as over sixty five have
other chronic diseases going on, chronic keating disease, chronic liver disease,
things like that. The average healthy person again, eighty percent
(02:35):
don't even know they've even had it.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
We're speaking with doctor Scott Flynn, the medical director for
Blue Shield of California's promised health plan. Is what can
we do? Does repellent actually work or?
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Because we did the study. We did a story about
a study earlier this week that says beer attracts mosquitoes,
which I was pushing back against because I figure, you
know a lot of people who are drinking beer anyway
are probably out by a campfire and being exposed to mosquitoes.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Yes, I hadn't heard that study. That's an interesting study.
It maybe be aromas. As you know, mosquitos usually vectorian
on something called carbon dioxide, which is what you're expelling
when you breathe, and they're very sensitive to that particular gas.
That can smell that and know that's what we expire,
(03:27):
is we are breathing in and out. Of course what's
in the bubbles in beer co two. So maybe it
might make some chemical sense. The things that repel it, though,
are if you have the deep spray, those kind of things.
When you look at for other things like that that
(03:48):
are bug spray, they have that active ingredient in it
which acts as the bug repellent, and that works very
well for that. So we recommend using that wearing long
sleeves protective clothing. If you're out in areas where you're
out camping and drinking a beer, that will be a
smart thing to do, especially this time of year with
this going on right now.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Two things. Number one, my parents used to tell me
if you set close to the campfire while the smoke
would drive away the mosquitos. I don't know if that's
true or not, but it makes sense.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
And second, it doesn't hurt.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Again, the best thing really is indeed because the back
of your neck, et cetera could be exposed. So if
you have some of the bugs bringing on putting, make
sure you're putting it on the back of your neck
and any exposed skin.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Really, and here's another life hack I have discovered. My
mother always used to say this, sleep with the fan
pointed at you. The mosquitoes don't like that.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
There are certain types of mosquitoes that don't like the wind.
There are other types that don't mind it at all.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Oh well, I hope I only run into the first one,
doctor Scott, Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
For doing that. Yeah, doing that, fan is just spreading
your CO two gas so they can you even further away.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Oh so she's counterintuitive there, yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Yeah, so where if you're out in an insected area
where there you know there's mosquitoes where long sleeves and
wear some spray all.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Right, Doctor Scott Flyne, medical director for Blue Shield of
California's Promise Health Plan, Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Thanks, Thanks guys, have a great one. To talk to
you again soon
Last year, San Diego County saw no human cases of
the mosquito born West Nile virus. This year, however, we
have four and one of the cases was acquired locally.
There have also been two deaths from the virus in
California's Central Valley.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Joining us now on the Cogo News liveline, the medical
director for Blue Shield of California Promised health plan, doctor
Scott Flann, Thanks for coming back on Coco's Morning News.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Good morning, So let's talk.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
A little bit about West now virus. I have a
couple of mosquito bites on me right now. Oh no,
And of course, you know you start thinking, oh my gosh,
you know, how what are the chances of getting this,
what do we know about it? And what does it
do to you?
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Well, it's pretty rare, but it is out there, obviously,
if we've had four cases already in San Diego, and
what it does you Usually up to eighty percent of
people don't even get any symptoms, and about twenty percent
of people do get symptoms with which is a fever
and some headache, some aches and pains, and it's usually
a pretty mild disease. Rarely it can get pretty bad
(01:07):
and cause something bad called encephalitis, where it gets into
your and your lining of your brain and spinal cord
and can cause a very serious disease and very very
rarely even death.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
What about treatment if you discover that you've been infected?
What kind of treatment is available?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
There's no treatment for it, but there's supportive care if
you have a severe disease. So if you've been bitten
by a mosquito and you get fever and headaches and
a stiff neck, that's when we recommend you go in
and get checked.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Could you potentially live with it?
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Checked? It? Yeah, And if you do get it, it
gets to be the severe disease. What will happen is
though end up doing what's called supportive care. You end
up in the hospital. I'll probably get some steroids and
some other things like that and make sure that if
you have trouble breath they can help you with that
and support your basic functions.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
So the people that it becomes fatal in are they
usually already compromised or you know, elderly.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Yes, exactly. So people that are at higher risk, are
you men to compromise from cancer or something like that.
Older age which is defined as over sixty five have
other chronic diseases going on, chronic keating disease, chronic liver disease,
things like that. The average healthy person again, eighty percent
(02:35):
don't even know they've even had it.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
We're speaking with doctor Scott Flynn, the medical director for
Blue Shield of California's promised health plan. Is what can
we do? Does repellent actually work or?
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Because we did the study. We did a story about
a study earlier this week that says beer attracts mosquitoes,
which I was pushing back against because I figure, you
know a lot of people who are drinking beer anyway
are probably out by a campfire and being exposed to mosquitoes.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Yes, I hadn't heard that study. That's an interesting study.
It maybe be aromas. As you know, mosquitos usually vectorian
on something called carbon dioxide, which is what you're expelling
when you breathe, and they're very sensitive to that particular gas.
That can smell that and know that's what we expire,
(03:27):
is we are breathing in and out. Of course what's
in the bubbles in beer co two. So maybe it
might make some chemical sense. The things that repel it, though,
are if you have the deep spray, those kind of things.
When you look at for other things like that that
(03:48):
are bug spray, they have that active ingredient in it
which acts as the bug repellent, and that works very
well for that. So we recommend using that wearing long
sleeves protective clothing. If you're out in areas where you're
out camping and drinking a beer, that will be a
smart thing to do, especially this time of year with
this going on right now.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Two things. Number one, my parents used to tell me
if you set close to the campfire while the smoke
would drive away the mosquitos. I don't know if that's
true or not, but it makes sense.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
And second, it doesn't hurt.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Again, the best thing really is indeed because the back
of your neck, et cetera could be exposed. So if
you have some of the bugs bringing on putting, make
sure you're putting it on the back of your neck
and any exposed skin.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Really, and here's another life hack I have discovered. My
mother always used to say this, sleep with the fan
pointed at you. The mosquitoes don't like that.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
There are certain types of mosquitoes that don't like the wind.
There are other types that don't mind it at all.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Oh well, I hope I only run into the first one,
doctor Scott, Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
For doing that. Yeah, doing that, fan is just spreading
your CO two gas so they can you even further away.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Oh so she's counterintuitive there, yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Yeah, so where if you're out in an insected area
where there you know there's mosquitoes where long sleeves and
wear some spray all.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Right, Doctor Scott Flyne, medical director for Blue Shield of
California's Promise Health Plan, Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Thanks, Thanks guys, have a great one. To talk to
you again soon
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