Shasta County has reported its first human West Nile virus patient of the year. The person is recovering at home. High fever, severe headache, a stiff neck and increasing confusion are common symptoms of West Nile virus, and would typically follow recent mosquito bites. It’s important to drain standing water to keep mosquitos from breeding. The mortality rate is extremely high for horses, the only species for which there is a vaccine. There’s a lot of information at shastamosquito.org.