The number of cases of a mysterious heart ailment in Ventura County has grown from nine to 12, with a second confirmed death.
Ventura County Public Health officials say the impacted people have cardiomyopathy, which is a condition where the heart becomes weakened. Tests conducted by the County Health Department in conjunction with state and federal officials have failed to nail down the cause of the local cluster of cases.
County Public Health Officer Dr. Robert Levin told KCLU News that the cardiomyopathy may turn out to be viral in nature, but so far, what occurred doesn’t appear to be highly contagious. The ages of those impacted range from 19 to 78 years old.
One of the deaths occurred this month, while the other was in December, before doctors realized the issue had surfaced in the county.
