Few signs yet, but experts say West Nile season could be bad
Check your window and door screens, empty standing water from your property and get the repellent out, because mosquitoes are coming. County officials say they’re bracing for a busy West Nile virus season.
“We still haven’t had any posi- tives in our mosquito samples, dead bird program or sentinel chicken program,” said Michael Kimball, manager of the Sutter-Yuba Mosquito & Vector Control District. “We had positive test results for West Nile virus by this time last year.”
Kimball said that’s likely going to change in the next couple of weeks.
Nearby, the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District confirmed in a press release last week that the first two mosquito samples of the season tested positive for West Nile virus, and other district managers say other counties will likely see cases in the coming weeks.
“Our numbers are lower than our 10-year average, but with the extremely hot weather, I’m expecting that to change,” Kimball said. “Heat shortens the life cycle of the mosquito larvae, and I’m expecting that number to go up dramatically in two weeks.”
Colusa Mosquito Abatement District manager David Whitesell is in the same situation – no West Nile virus cases, but he’s on high alert.
“We have traps out and are monitoring the mosquito populations. All the tests have come back negative – there’s no West Nile virus activity to date, but we’re looking for it,” Whitesell said.
He said even though increased mosquito activity is forthcoming, people should always avoid getting bitten.
“You can get West Nile virus any time,” Whitesell said, “It’s when the mosquito population gets larger that people get the virus more frequently.”
Matthew Ball, district manager with the Butte County Mosquito and Vector Control District, is also bracing for the season.
“We’re currently West Nile virus-free, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we got some positive tests back in the next week because of the heat,” Ball said. “Last year, on June 20 was the first dead bird that tested positive and the first positive mosquito pool was June 29 and Aug. 2 was the first human case.”
(The virus is spread by mosquitoes, and some birds are prone to contracting the virus and die from it; testing dead birds is one way officials keep watch for the spread of the virus.)
According to the press release, the positive mosquito samples were collected near Zamora in northern Yolo County and near Isleton in south Sacramento County.
“We are detecting West Nile virus activity,” said Gary Goodman, District Manager with the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District. “It’s important for residents to take these findings seriously because it confirms the presence of the virus within our area.”
Most people who contract the disease – 70 percent to 80 percent – show no symptoms. About one in five people who are infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will develop a fever and other symptoms but will recover completely over time. Less than 1 percent of people who are infected will develop serious illness.
But why take the chance?
“Wear pants and a longsleeve shirt, if you can this time of year,” Whitesell said. “It’s most important at dusk and dawn, when mosquito activity is highest.”
He said any repellent with DEET in it is good – the higher the percentage of DEET the better.
Whitesell said to check the integrity of all window and door screens at homes and businesses.
“A good, weekly inspection of the yard and areas around the house can prevent a lot,” Whitesell said.
Whitesell and Ball both stressed that clearing out any and all standing water helps minimize mosquito breeding grounds.
Hall added that gutters and downspouts can hold water if they’re clogged with leaves and other
Districts use a variety of methods to get a handle on the number and species of mosquitoes in the area, and that helps assess the threat level.
“We’re mapping all of our rice fields to get the program going,” Kimball said. “Next week, we’ll add a bacterium to the water that only affects aquatic diptera, which are mosquitoes and midges – it’s very target-specific.”
Kimball said urban ground fogging will begin next week and their website lists the times and locations of fogging activity.
“The town of Colusa will be treated twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays starting next week and weather permitting,” Whitesell said. “The outlying areas will be treated four nights a week.”
Whitesell said they did some aerial application earlier in the year because of the flooding.
He said they split some of the costs with the Sutter-Yuba Mosquito & Vector Control District.
“The numbers are higher in terms of unmaintained swimming pools this year,” Kimball said. “We have 227 in Yuba County and 418 in Sutter County for a total 645. There were more than 500 pools last year.”
Kimball said he has crews out sampling and treating unmaintained swimming pools in both counties.
“We just got done wrapping up aerial surveillance – a contractor took photos of the area looking for unmaintained pools,” Ball said. “We captured 487 targets and we’re trying to get to all of those pools.” Marysville office, 1530 Ellis Lake Drive Business hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Main number....................
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