Tick, mosquito borne diseases on the rise — outside of San Joaquin
Few cases reported in local area, but officials still urge precautions
The Center for Disease Control reported this week that cases of mosquitoand tick-borne diseases in the United States tripled from 27,388 cases in 2004 to 96,075 in 2016, for a total of 640,000 cases in that 13-year period.
San Joaquin has seen relatively few mosquito- or tick-borne diseases since 2013, according to Dr. Gordon Arakawa, assistant public health officer for San Joaquin County. No cases of yellow fever have been reported in that five-year period, he said in an email, and only two cases of Lyme disease: one in 2014 and one in 2016.
Eight cases of Zika virus have been found, Arakawa said, seven in 2016 and one in 2017. Ten cases of malaria were reported since 2013, he said, one per year from 2013 to 2015, two in 2016 and five in 2017.
West Nile virus was the most common, with eight cases reported in 2013, nine in 2014, two in 2015, 13 in 2016 and 14 in 2017, Arakawa said, although no such diseases have been reported in 2018 as of yet.
“So far this year, we have no confirmed cases of vectorborne diseases, as discussed in the CDC press release dated May 1, 2018,” Arakawa said.
Aaron Devencenzi, a public information officer for the San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District, said that West Nile virus has been a common mosquito-borne disease in the county since it first arrived in 2004.
“Prior to that, we had Western Equine Encephalitis, but since West Nile virus arrived in 2004, we’ve had more increases in that disease. As far as tick-borne diseases, we haven’t seen anything unusual, but definitely West Nile virus is the primary concern,” Devencenzi said.
Although San Joaquin County saw an increase in mosquitoes last year due to flooding, Devencenzi said that this year’s numbers seem to be closer to the county’s fiveyear average.
Residents should still take steps to prevent mosquitoes from nesting around their homes, Devencenzi said, such as draining any stagnant water such as puddles or buckets, using insect repellent and staying indoors at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active.
MVCD is also on the lookout for yellow fever and Asian tiger mosquitoes, invasive species that bite during the day and spread diseases such as Zika, yellow fever and dengue, Devencenzi said. Although those species have not yet been spotted in San Joaquin, he said, they have been found as close as Merced County.
“We really need people to call in daytime-biting mosquitoes so that we can track invasive species before they become a problem,” Devencenzi said.
Lodi Animal Services Officer Jordan Kranich said that although Lyme disease from ticks and heartworms spread by mosquitoes have been on the rise for pets in California’s Central Valley over the past few years, Lodi itself has not seen very many cases.
“We haven’t had any heartworm cases ourselves other than one that I’ve heard of last year, but I know that Stockton sees a lot more than Lodi because they have more waterways. I know we had one puppy with heartworms last year. That wasn’t very common in our area, but it’s coming into the area now,” Kranich said.
Kranich recommends that owners test their pets for heartworms annually, and start their pets on flea and tick control medication if they have not already done so.
“It is becoming the summer months, when ticks and fleas begin to hatch, so it is recommended that you start your pets on flea and tick control. Some flea and tick medications even have mosquito control, so that is highly recommended,” Kranich said.