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Brittany Yeager was leading a troop of girls at Girl Scout camp in Idaho last summer when a mosquito bite upended her life. Once a runner, hiker and math wiz, Yeager, 30, now takes 23 pills a day to manage symptoms that include paralysis, pain, seizures, muscle spasms, depression and memory problems. She recently learned to stand again and take a few steps, but she relies on an electric wheelchair to get around. (Goodman, 7/27)

Three of the nine reported human cases of West Nile virus have had the more severe form of the disease, also known as West Nile neuroinvasive disease, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). (Russ, 7/27)

A Bay Area county has reported its first mosquito-related death in nearly two decades. Contra Costa County officials announced Saturday that a resident succumbed to a West Nile virus infection this month. The death of the unidentified man from East County was reported on July 16, marking the first West Nile virus-related fatality in Contra Costa since 2006. (Vaziri, 7/28)

US COVID activity continues a steady rise across most of the nation, according to the latest indicators today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In its latest respiratory illness snapshot, the CDC said most areas of the country are seeing consistent rises in COVID activity. "Surges like this are known to occur throughout the year, including during summer months," it said, adding there are many effective tools for preventing the spread of the virus or becoming seriously ill. (Schnirring, 7/26)

Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News: Journalists Drill Down On Ongoing Covid Risks, Escalating Health Care Costs

Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media in the last two weeks to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances. (7/27)

With the number of U.S. dairy herds infected with H5N1 bird flu rising almost daily, fears are growing that the dangerous virus cannot be driven out of this species. That belief is amplifying calls for the development of flu shots for cows. (Branswell, 7/29)

Aircraft will drop rabies vaccination baits across Allegheny County next month as part of a massive effort to eventually eradicate the raccoon variant of the virus from the country. ... Raccoon rabies can be found throughout the state, and the disease is almost always fatal to both people and animals, the health department says. The goal is to eventually push the westward boundary of raccoon rabies all the way to the East Coast, basically eradicating raccoon rabies from the United States. (Bartos, 7/27)