LAKEPORT — Routine surveillance detected West Nile virus (WNV) in a sample of 31 Culex stigmatosoma (the banded foul water mosquito) collected near Kelseyville on Sept. 2. This is the first detection of WNV in Lake County this year.
Lake County Vector Control District Manager and Research Director, Jamesina J. Scott, Ph.D., reminds residents that any source of standing water can produce mosquitoes and that residents can help protect their community by maintaining their pools to prevent mosquitoes and to let the district know of swimming pools and spas that are not maintained.
“Our employees have been working hard to make sure that neglected swimming pools are not producing mosquitoes. A single unmaintained pool can produce hundreds of thousands mosquitoes per week and those mosquitoes can fly up to five miles away,” Scott said, “and one neglected swimming pool increases an entire community”s risk of mosquito bites and mosquito-borne illness.”
The District recommends residents:
– Dump out buckets, wading pools and other sources of water where mosquitoes develop.
– Avoid being outside when mosquitoes are active, especially near dusk and dawn.
– Wear long sleeves and pants and use a mosquito repellent (always read and follow label directions) if they are outside when mosquitoes are active.
– Call the district at 263-4770 or visit the website at www.lcvcd.org to request service for those having problems with mosquitoes.
The Lake County Vector Control provides free mosquito-eating fish to Lake County residents for use in animal water troughs, ornamental ponds, and out-of-service (“green”) swimming pools, or residents can contact the district for assistance.
WNV has been detected in Lake County every year since its arrival in 2004, but only three residents have become ill from WNV infection in that time. Scott attributes the low incidence of WNV disease in Lake County residents to the district”s vigorous efforts to control mosquitoes.
The Vector Control District regularly traps and tests mosquitoes throughout the county to identify the areas that are at highest risk and target those areas for source reduction and treatment.
The District reports that mosquito activity ? particularly for the Culex mosquitoes that transmit WNV ? has been very high in some localized areas of the county.
While mosquitoes are an important part of the environment and cannot be eliminated completely, the district works to reduce mosquito populations near places where people live and recreate to prevent disease.
Residents with questions or those who would like help with a mosquito problem should contact the Lake County Vector Control District at 263-4770 or visit the website at www.lcvcd.org. For more information about West Nile virus, visit www.westnile.ca.gov/.
