Public Safety

Long Beach reports first West Nile virus-related death since 2017

City health officials reported 41 cases this year, with 71% involving neuroinvasive illness.

Image credit: NIAID / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0; archival 2024 composite of a Culex mosquito and West Nile virus particles

Long Beach health officials reported the city’s first West Nile virus-related death since 2017, NBC Los Angeles and City News Service reported September 24. The resident was hospitalized and died after developing neuroinvasive illness, according to the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services. Officials released no additional information about the person.

What it means locally

Long Beach had recorded 41 West Nile virus cases in 2026 as of Thursday, and 71% involved neuroinvasive illness. At the same point in 2014, the city had reported 22 cases; 56 were recorded during that entire year. Health officials urged residents to use EPA-registered insect repellent, repair screens and empty standing water where mosquitoes breed.

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