From Recordnet.com
April 26, 2018

STOCKTON – The San Joaquin County Mosquito & Vector Control District is asking the public to be aware of standing water around their property because it can increase the prevalence of mosquitoes.

“For mosquitoes, any standing water in large containers to plastic bottle caps is suitable for mosquito development,” district spokesman Aaron Devencenzi said in a statement. “As temperatures increase with intermittent rains, mosquito populations will begin to thrive. The District is asking people to diligently remove any standing water on a weekly basis. In addition, we are asking that daytime biting mosquitoes be reported to the District.”

Two invasive Aedes mosquito species are moving their way through California. Aedes aegypti (commonly called the yellow fever mosquito) and Aedes albopictus (known as the Asian tiger mosquito) are potential carriers of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya and Zika.

Yellow fever mosquitoes are found mostly in Southern and Central areas of California and were found in September in Merced County.

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From KVUE
April 25, 2018

In 2016, Cody Hopkins was bit by a mosquito and rushed to Dell Children’s Hospital. Doctors did not initially test Hopkins for the West Nile virus until his father — a veterinary tech — pointed out his son matched all the symptoms and asked for his son to be tested.

Hopkins had West Nile encephalitis, and the virus passed the blood brain barrier. He died within nine days.

Devastated and outraged, Hopkins parents began their own quest for a vaccine. What Hopkins’ parents found out was eye-opening: a vaccine that could have potentially saved their son’s life might already exist.

From Reuters
April 25, 2018

BOGOTA, April 25 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Millions of sterile mosquitoes will be released from drones over parts of Brazil to combat the Zika virus, after successful field tests were hailed as a “breakthrough” by the United Nations.

Once freed, the sterilized, laboratory-bred male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes – which spread Zika, dengue and yellow fever by biting humans – mate with females, but do not produce viable eggs, said the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“You can reduce the mosquito population over time and suppress the next generation of mosquitoes by up to 99 percent,” said Jeremy Bouyer, an IAEA scientist.

“Before we had no way to release mosquitoes by air. But now, with the use of drones, this is a breakthrough as it allows mosquitoes to be released on a large scale and it reduces the cost a lot,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Brazil was hard hit by the 2015 to 2016 Zika epidemic, a virus linked to birth defects in thousands of babies.

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From San Bruno Patch
April 23, 2018

Article Source: San Mateo County Mosquito & Vector Control District & Robert Riechel

Tuesday April 10 2018 the San Bruno CA City Council presented the District with the following proclamation and San Bruno’s trustee Robert Riechel invited the Council, Staff, and Citizens to attend the 4 – 7 p.m. Open House April 28th 2018 to see the tools Operations uses and the tools the Lab uses in working to keep San Bruno and the County of San Mateo Mosquito FREE.

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From Phys.org
April 23, 2018

Wolbachia are bacteria that occur widely in insects and, once they do, inhibit certain pathogenic viruses the insects carry. The problem with using Wolbachia broadly to protect humans is that the bacteria do not normally occur in mosquitoes that transmit Zika and dengue. So success in modifying mosquitoes relies on the bacteria’s cunning ability to spread like wildfire into mosquito populations.

Wolbachia do so by hijacking the insect reproductive system in a process called cytoplasmic incompatibility, or CI. This makes the sperm of infected fathers lethal to eggs of uninfected mothers. However, if infected fathers mate with infected mothers, the eggs live, and the infected mothers carrying Wolbachia will also infect all her offspring with it. Then those offspring pass on Wolbachia to the next generation, and so on, until they eventually replace all of the resident mosquitoes. As Wolbachia spreads in the population, the risk of dengue and Zika virus transmission drops.

How that sperm and egg hijacking worked in infected fathers and mothers remained a mystery for decades, until Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Seth Bordenstein and his team helped solve it. They set out to dissect the number and types of genes that Wolbachia use to spread with the long-term goal of harnessing that genetic ability for protecting humans against diseases transmission.

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From The Sonoma County Gazette
April 23, 2018

The end of the late rains and beginning of warm weather is the ideal time for an increase in mosquito populations. Our vector control technicians have documented over 800 new sources of mosquito production in the October 2017 burn areas. These sources include swimming pools, spas, compromised septic systems, and depressions caused by the removal of foundations and debris.

From The Santa Cruz Sentinel
April 23, 2018

MONTEREY >> As the weather warms and the outdoors calls, some nature aficionados on the Central Coast are reporting more ticks in fields and woodlands than usual. And with ticks come the risk of ailments like Lyme disease, among others.

“Anecdotally,” said Ken Klemme, District Manager for the Northern Salinas Valley Mosquito Abatement District, “for whatever reason, it’s been a really heavy tick year. They’re everywhere.”

According to sampling efforts from Santa Cruz County, the anecdotal uptick hasn’t been verified across the places where ticks are found. But experts recommend caution nonetheless: several local species of ticks can carry dangerous bacteria, and the best way to avoid getting sick is to avoid being bitten in the first place.

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From Record Searchlight
April 20, 2018

While pets are at risk for heartworm year-round, cool fluctuating temperatures gave Shasta County a slight reprieve from a primary vector of the disease.

That’s about to end.

In parts of California, including Shasta County, the western treehole mosquito is a primary cause of heartworm in cats and dogs.

“They’re fairly small and like to bite mammals,” said Peter Bonkrude, district manager at Shasta Mosquito and Vector Control District (SMVCD) in Anderson. “They’re a day biter which makes them different than most mosquitoes.”

While his team catches mosquitoes throughout the year, Bonkrude said the valley floor usually sees the western treehole emerge en mass from April to May. The western treehole doesn’t transmit human diseases as far as scientists are aware, but pets are a serious concern for his district.

“Unfortunately, heartworm is prevalent in our area,” said Leanna Niemann, office manager at Haven Humane Society. “Northern California has a pocket of a high number of cases per clinic. We’re a great environment for the mosquitoes….”

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From Entomology Today
April 19, 2018

This week (April 17-23, 2016) is Mosquito Awareness Week in California, and mosquito-control districts are doing their best to educate the public about how to control mosquito populations.

As we move into spring and the weather gets warmer, the number of mosquitoes will increase as people begin spending more time outdoors. Mosquito Awareness Week is meant to remind everyone that just one bite can make them seriously ill, and that controlling mosquitoes early in the season makes a huge difference later on during the summer.

The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District even runs a “Fight the Bite” drawing contest, which awards cash prizes to students and their schools. In addition, they will donate more than 10,000 repellent wipes to local shelters that provide services to homeless residents.

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From Westside Connect
April 19, 2018

The Merced County Mosquito Abatement District has launched its annual campaign against the bothersome insects – which can pose health risks as well as being a warm-weather nuisance.

This year, that endeavor includes a countywide aerial survey of swimming pools to identify those which are neglected and pose the potential to be breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Rhiannon Jones, the district’s general manager, told Mattos Newspapers that the aerial campaign identified 1,679 neglected pools – including 49 in the Gustine and Santa Nella areas.

Neglected swimming pools and ornamental ponds can be fertile breeding grounds for the types of mosquitoes which carry West Nile Virus and St. Louis Encephalitis Virus, Jones noted.

“This is the first time the Merced County Mosquito Abatement District has used aerial photography to assess the neglected swimming pool situation,” she commented. “The number of neglected swimming pools in our area is much higher than expected.”

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From News Channel 3
April 19, 2018

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – Mosquito season is here and Riverside County health officials are telling people to be prepared, as some species are capable of transmitting infectious viruses such as zika or West Nile viruses.

“The mosquitoes are all over the county, they’re not just in the desert, they’re in the western and southern parts of the county, pretty much they’re all over,” Sharon Fortino, a nurse with the Riverside University Health System, said.

Officials are referring to the aedes aegypti mosquito. They credit a proactive vector control for keeping the population from going out of hand, helping keep the cases of the viruses low in Riverside County. Officials say currently there are no cases of West Nile right now.

The two active cases of zika in the county have come from people traveling from countries such as Mexico where the virus is more prevalent. They are asking people to take steps to prevent the spread of mosquitoes.

“if you have pots that you’re watering plants in, make sure there’s no standing water. take care of your pools,” Fortino said.

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From Action News Now
April 18, 2018

Shasta County, Calif.—The Shasta Mosquito and Vector Control District and the California Legislature has declared April 15th through April 22nd 2018, as Mosquito Awareness Week.

District personnel has been monitoring mosquito populations, disease occurrences, and have been treating areas of standing water with mosquito control products and mosquito fish to prevent mosquito breeding.

The district has been proactive in reducing mosquito populations before they become flying adults.

In response to the growing mosquito borne threats, the District completed an expansion to their surveillance and research laboratory in 2018.

This will allow the District to better meet the needs of the area as new and emerging vectors and diseases continue to expand their boundaries.

The District already has plans to expand our surveillance network and, in the future, begin performing in-house diagnostic testing for diseases such as West Nile virus.

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From The Escalon Times
April 18, 2018

San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District (District) is asking the public to be aware of standing water around their property.

“For mosquitoes, any standing water in large containers to plastic bottle caps is suitable for mosquito development,” said Aaron Devencenzi, Public Information Officer with the District. “As temperatures increase with intermittent rains, mosquito populations will begin to thrive. The District is asking people to diligently remove any standing water on a weekly basis. In addition, we are asking that daytime biting mosquitoes be reported to the District.”

There are two different invasive Aedes mosquito species moving their way through California. Aedes aegypti commonly called the yellow fever mosquito and Aedes albopictus, commonly called the Asian tiger mosquito, are potential carriers of mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika. Primarily established in southern and central areas of California, Aedes aegypti were found in Merced County in September of 2017. Early detection is key. If the District is able to detect the invasive Aedes mosquitoes early, there is higher chance to contain or possibly eradicate the population.

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From KCRA 3
April 18, 2018

Late spring rain and warm temperatures have increased the mosquito population.

The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District announced Mosquito and West Nile Virus Awareness Week on April 15 to 21.

Click here to view the interview

From 3 News Las Vegas
April 18, 2018

SPARKS (KSNV) — The Nevada Department of Agriculture encourages horse owners throughout the state of Nevada to vaccinate against to the West Nile Virus.

“Vaccinations, in conjunction with practices that reduce exposure to mosquitos, are very effective in protecting horses from West Nile Virus,” says ,” Dr. JJ Goicoechea, the Nevada Department of Agriculture’s State Veterinarian.

The Nevada Department of Agriculture monitors the West Nile Virus yearly, and other diseases carried by mosquitos closely to protect public health and safety, and the agriculture industry.

In addition to West Nile Virus, the Animal Disease Laboratory at the Nevada Department of Agriculture tests for two other widespread arboviral diseases: Saint Louis Encephalitis (SLE) Virus and Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE) Virus. All three can cause severe disease and death in humans.

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From The Oakdale Leader
April 18, 2018

There are two different invasive Aedes mosquito species moving their way through California. Aedes aegypti commonly called the yellow fever mosquito and Aedes albopictus, commonly called the Asian tiger mosquito, are potential carriers of mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika.

With April 15 through 21 observed as Mosquito Awareness Week in California, officials are reminding residents to take care to protect against West Nile and other illnesses that can be caused by mosquitoes.

West Nile virus is endemic to most of California. Protect yourself from mosquito bites and reduce your risk of WNV infection and other mosquito-transmitted diseases by taking these precautions:

Eliminate all sources of standing water on your property that can support mosquito breeding.

Apply insect repellent containing the active ingredient DEET or Picaridin when outdoors, according to label instructions.

Avoid spending time outside when mosquitoes are most active, at dawn and dusk, and especially for the first two hours after sunset.

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From The New York Post
April 17, 2018

Watch out for house mice — they could be dangerous to your health.

A new study in New York City found they carry life-threatening, disease-causing bacteria — and some may be resistant to antibiotics.

“Mice are more than just a nuisance — they are a potential source of infections. We used to think of mosquitoes as the source of just an itchy bite, but now we know they carry Zika virus and West Nile virus,” says Ian Lipkin, director of the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Researchers collected 416 mice from residential buildings at seven sites across the city. A genetic analysis of their droppings revealed that the mice carry several gastrointestinal bacteria including C. difficile, E. coli, Shigella and Salmonella, a leading cause of bacterial food poisoning.

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From Time Health
April 17, 2018

Warmer weather signals the onset of vacations, destination weddings and—unfortunately—mosquitoes. Since the Zika virus emerged three years ago in the Americas, cases have declined, but many people wonder if they still need to consider the mosquito-borne disease when making travel plans.

“The bottom line is yes,” says Dr. Paul Mead, a medical officer in the CDC’s division of vector-borne diseases: Americans do still need to take precautions to protect against Zika. The CDC recommends that pregnant couples who live or travel to areas with Zika (a list that currently includes countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central America, North America, South America and the Pacific Islands) should use condoms every time they have oral, vaginal or anal sex, or should abstain from sex altogether during the pregnancy—even if the pregnant woman’s partner does not have symptoms or feel sick. The CDC also advises against sharing sex toys. These precautions help protect against the devastating birth defects that have been linked to Zika.

But new research suggests some good news: that the window of sexual transmission for Zika may be shorter than previously thought.

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From Laguna Beach Patch
April 17, 2018

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Mosquito Awareness was celebrated this week in Laguna Beach, Orange County and across California thanks state legislature. This is the season that breeds the bugs from wiggly larvae to the flying, sucking, stinging critters we all know and (don’t) love. In Orange County, the OC Mosquito and Vector Control District (OCMVCD) joined public health agencies throughout the state to raise awareness and educate Californians about the threat mosquitoes and vectors can pose to local communities.

“Over the last few years, Orange County has experienced an increase in cases of mosquito-borne illnesses such as the West Nile virus. Furthermore, the presence of the invasive Aedes mosquitoes threatens the county with diseases such as Zika virus, dengue fever, and Chikungunya” said Mary-Joy Coburn, OCMVCD Public Affairs Coordinator. “To ensure the protection of family, friends, and pets, it’s extremely important to make sure that residents are taking the proper steps to eliminate standing water on their properties and to control the mosquito population.”

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From Lake Tahoe News
April 17, 2018

With this being Mosquito Awareness Week, El Dorado County health officials are reminding residents to take steps to protect themselves from mosquitoes as warmer weather approaches.

West Nile virus is primarily a disease of birds that can be transmitted to people and animals by mosquitoes. WNV is a mosquito-borne disease that can result in debilitating cases of meningitis and encephalitis, and death to humans, horses, avian species and other wildlife. In 2017, there were 536 confirmed human cases of WNV in 44 counties throughout California, with no cases in El Dorado County. Statewide there were 43 human deaths.

Pregnant women should be aware about the risks of traveling to Mexico and other countries where the Zika virus can be transmitted through mosquito bite, which can result in harm to the growing fetus.

El Dorado County vector control technicians respond to resident complaints and provide surveillance and control of mosquito sources in designated areas of the county.

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From County of El Dorado
April 17, 2018

(PLACERVILLE, CA) – The California Legislature has declared April 15 through April 21, 2018 as Mosquito Awareness Week to raise awareness and educate Californians about the threat mosquitoes pose to our communities. El Dorado County health officials are reminding residents to take steps to protect themselves from mosquitoes as warmer weather approaches, both at home and when traveling out of the Country, and to be aware of the serious risks mosquitoes present to their health including West Nile, Saint Louis encephalitis, and potentially dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses.

West Nile Virus (WNV) is primarily a disease of birds that can be transmitted to people and animals by mosquitoes. WNV is a mosquito-borne disease that can result in debilitating cases of meningitis and encephalitis and death to humans, horses, avian species and other wildlife. In 2017, there were 536 confirmed human cases of WNV in 44 counties throughout California with no cases in El Dorado County. Statewide there were 43 human deaths.

“Pregnant women should be aware about the risks of traveling to Mexico and other countries where the Zika virus can be transmitted through mosquito bite, which can result in harm to the growing fetus,” said County Health Officer, Dr. Nancy Williams. “Babies born to mothers infected with Zika virus can be born with microcephaly or other severe fetal brain defects. The safest thing for pregnant women or women who could become pregnant is to postpone travel to countries where Zika virus is present until after the baby is born.” For more information about Zika virus and pregnant women, Williams points people to https://www.cdc.gov/zika/pregnancy/index.html

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From The Daily Republic
April 17, 2018

FAIRFIELD — Perhaps the last thing on anyone’s mind on a rainy Monday morning was the threat of mosquitoes.

However, according to the state Department of Public Health, “there has been a steep rise in detections of invasive mosquito populations in California . . . which increases the risk of local transmission of imported diseases.”

April 15-22 is Mosquito Awareness Week.

The end of the recent drought and the lifting of water restrictions also mean the return of water practices that create more mosquito habitat, the state agency reports.

“With millions of international travelers arriving or returning to California each year and the spread of these invasive mosquito species across California, the potential for local transmission of imported diseases is increasing,” David Heft, president of the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California, said in a statement released Monday by the organization.

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From Science News for Students
April 16, 2018

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — In many places, a moonless night sky is no longer inky black. Artificial lighting can give the night a persistent glow. This so-called light pollution can affect animals. And new data now suggest those effects might trickle through ecosystems.

Even moderate light pollution, a new study finds, can roughly double how long a house sparrow infected with West Nile virus remains at high risk of spreading disease. If bitten by a mosquito, that virus can now spread to other animals, including people.

In the United States, house sparrows are about as widespread as is artificial lighting. So they made a useful test species in a new first-of-its-kind study, says Meredith Kernbach. Her team used these birds to test whether light at night might affect the spread of West Nile disease. Kernbach’s work combines ecology with the study of immune systems. She works at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

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From The Bangor Daily News
April 16, 2018

A public warning and call to action, the new book “Lyme: The First Epidemic of Climate Change,” by investigative journalist Mary Beth Pfeiffer, sheds light on a tick-borne disease that recently has emerged to infect hundreds of thousands of people in the United States each year.

Lauded by well-known authors and conservationists, including Jane Goodall, Jane Alexander and Bill McKibben, “Lyme” officially hits bookstore shelves on April 17. The book challenges mainstream medicine and prevailing perceptions of the complicated disease.

“There’s a problem with how we manage Lyme disease,” Pfeiffer said in a recent phone interview. “People need to be aware that we have a long way to go before we get to the point where we can adequately diagnose and treat Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases.”

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From The Los Alamitos Patch
April 16, 2018

Mosquitoes are not only nuisances; they can cause sickness and death through the diseases they can carry. This week (April 15 -21) the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District (OCMVCD) joins public health agencies throughout the state to raise awareness and educate Californians about the threat mosquitoes can pose to local residents and families.

To kickoff California Mosquito Awareness Week and the mosquito season:

• OCMVCD is releasing a West Nile virus (WNV) Survivor video about the impact of a mosquito-borne illness on one local family (http://bit.ly/WNVSurvivor2018).
• The District has also deployed additional inspectors to canvass neighborhoods with historically higher than average mosquito activity to expand public education with residents.
• Vector Control officials have started meeting with various city staff to discuss mosquito control and fixing infrastructure issues.
• Mrs. Mosquito, OCMVCD’s Giant Inflatable Mosquito, along with District staff will be participating in events across the county to educate the public about mosquito sources found on their yards and what residents can do to protect themselves.
• The District’s social media pages will also be highlighting mosquito prevention tips and tricks and awarding prizes to participants.

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From Spectrum News Austin
April 15, 2018

AUSTIN, Texas — According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, two cases of Zika have been reported in Williamson County.

Not many details have been provided about the two cases, however DSHS did confirm that both cases are travel-related.

The Zika virus is spread through mosquitos, but can also be spread from mother to child, through blood transfusion, and sexual contact. The most common symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis.

People can prevent mosquitos from breeding in their yard by making sure to remove any standing water.

It is also important to use insect repellents when going outside and avoid being outdoor during peak mosquito hours.

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From The New York Times
April 13, 2018

High in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Spain, an international team of researchers set out four buckets to gather a shower of viruses falling from the sky.

Scientists have surmised there is a stream of viruses circling the planet, above the planet’s weather systems but below the level of airline travel. Very little is known about this realm, and that’s why the number of deposited viruses stunned the team in Spain. Each day, they calculated, some 800 million viruses cascade onto every square meter of the planet.

Most of the globe-trotting viruses are swept into the air by sea spray, and lesser numbers arrive in dust storms.

“Unimpeded by friction with the surface of the Earth, you can travel great distances, and so intercontinental travel is quite easy” for viruses, said Curtis Suttle, a marine virologist at the University of British Columbia. “It wouldn’t be unusual to find things swept up in Africa being deposited in North America.”

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From The California Aggie
April 13, 2018

Certain wolbachia strains could spread rapidly through mosquito populations, block transmittance of viruses to humans, UC Davis study shows

Wolbachia, a parasitic microbe found in up to two-thirds of insects, was discovered only a few decades ago and is not fully understood. A new study from UC Davis analyzed the interspecific spread of Wolbachia across different species of fruit flies. The bacteria’s ability to select for infected offspring and provide immune benefits to its host allows it to spread rapidly throughout populations.

“Wolbachia don’t necessarily spread through increasing relative fitness of their hosts, rather they interfere with reproductive abilities,” said Kevin Kim, an undergraduate biochemistry major and co-author of the study, in an email. “During host reproduction, wolbachia are transmitted via the mother to their offspring, so male-killing Wolbachia increase the rate of production of infected females, which can go on to produce infected offspring. Similarly, [cytoplasmic incompatibility] prevents uninfected females from producing their ‘maximum’ number of offspring — except in cases where both parents are uninfected — and thus promotes the spread of wolbachia.”

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From CBS News
April 12, 2018

Guidelines in place for protecting against the sexual transmission of Zika virus need to be re-evaluated, based on a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC currently recommends that men who have traveled to a Zika-active region either use condoms or abstain from sex for at least 6 months.

But that guideline is based on data showing that genetic traces of Zika virus can be found in semen 180 days after infection.

The new data shows that actual infectious Zika particles remain in semen for much less time than those non-infectious genetic traces, said lead researcher Dr. Paul Mead, a CDC epidemiologist in Fort Collins, Colo.

Infectious Zika virus particles are more rarely found in semen, and appear to clear out within a month of infection, Mead said.

“Based on this new information, we certainly will be re-evaluating those guidelines,” he added. “We will be looking at it to see whether or not the recommendations should be modified.”

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From The Merced Sun-Star
April 11, 2018

If mosquitoes are hovering over your green swimming pool, it’s time to drain the water for the good of the community, abatement officials said.

The Merced County Abatement District recently took aerial photographs to see if and how many neglected swimming pools there are in the county, according to a news release.

Officials found that there were 1,679 neglected swimming pools in Merced County that could be ripe breeding grounds for mosquitoes that may carry West Nile Virus and St. Louis Encephalitis Virus, the release states.

“This is the first time Merced County Mosquito Abatement District has used aerial photography to assess the neglected swimming pool situation,” said General Manager Rhiannon Jones, noting the number of pools was much higher than expected.

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From The York Daily Record
April 11, 2018

You will get bit by a mosquito, probably soon. The mosquito larva are already wiggling around in pools of standing water, sometimes in containers as small as a soda cap.

That bite will likely be little more than an annoyance, something to scratch at for an hour or a day. 

But that bite could infect you with West Nile virus, and that might result in a high fever and body aches. In severe cases, the virus can kill people. Over the last 10 years, 10 people across Pennsylvania have died as a result of the virus.

And your property is likely a breeding ground for these pests. 

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From The National Science Foundation
April 10, 2018

Where’s the greatest risk of a mosquito bite if you live in Baltimore, Maryland? Scientists studying Baltimore neighborhoods where residents have low, median or high incomes say that people are most at risk in areas with median incomes. Their results offer some intriguing reasons.

Southwest Baltimore’s ‘mosquito neighborhoods’

This week, ecologists report in the journal Parasites & Vectors that socioeconomic differences among Baltimore neighborhoods influence bite risk. Shannon LaDeau, a scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York, and co-author of the paper, explains that “mosquitoes are a global threat to public health. We’re interested in knowing how urban landscape features and social patterns influence mosquito biting behavior.”

Understanding how neighborhoods regulate mosquito bites is key to managing diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, such as West Nile virus and Zika virus, according to LaDeau.

The study took place in five neighborhoods in southwest Baltimore. The sectors represented a socioeconomic range below, at or above the city’s median household income.

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From The Orlando Sentinel
April 10, 2018

With mosquito season just around the corner, Orange County is getting money from the state to help combat the Zika virus.

Orange is one of just 10 counties statewide to receive the $325,000 grant from the state Department of Health, Mosquito Control Division Manager Kelly Deutsch said.

The funds will be used to purchase equipment such as handheld sprayers, backpack sprayers, truck-mounted sprayers, traps, and anti-mosquito materials including pellets, briquettes and liquids.

The amount was less than similar grants awarded by the state in 2016 and 2017, when the Zika threat was at its highest.

The county received $61,000 from the DOH in 2016, when 1,122 travel-related cases and 298 locally-transmitted cases were reported, and $166,000 in 2017 when there were 225 travel-related cases and two locally-transmitted cases, one in Manatee County and the other in Miami-Dade County.

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From The Burlingame Patch
April 10, 2018

San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District: On Thursday, April 26th, 2018, San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District will hold an open house at its office at 1351 Rollins Rd. in Burlingame from 4pm until 7pm to celebrate Mosquito Awareness Week. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet the staff and tour the laboratory, as well as participate in a variety of demonstrations, exhibits, and activities. No RSVP is required for this event.

San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District is responsible for vector-borne disease surveillance and control of vectors (insects and other animals that may transmit diseases to humans) throughout the county, including mosquito control, public education, and disease surveillance.
Further information about San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District’s open house is available at www.smcmvcd.org/openhouse.

From Stat
April 4, 2018

A new study in primates raises the possibility that children infected with the Zika virus during infancy could be at risk of experiencing brain damage.

Zika is known to destroy developing brain tissue when it infects a fetus in the womb. Scientists know less — next to nothing, essentially — about how the virus might affect the brain of an infant infected after birth.

In the new study, scientists infected rhesus macaques with Zika virus at the age of about 1 month — which corresponds to about 3 months of age in a child. The macaques showed troubling brain and behavioral changes.

The findings, published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, are worrisome, admitted Dr. Karin Nielsen-Saines, who was not involved in the research.

Nielsen-Saines, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who studies the Zika virus, said during the height of the Zika outbreak in 2016 she and colleagues were often asked if it was safe to take a baby to areas where Zika was transmitting.

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From The San Diego Union-Tribune
April 3, 2018

April starts mosquito season, and that means an increased risk of West Nile and Zika virus infection.

Though that risk gets stronger in late summer and early fall, San Diego County experts are starting early this year, warning the region’s 3 million residents to do what they can to keep their properties from becoming mosquito breeding grounds.

“We typically see the mosquito numbers start to ramp up in mid- to late April, peaking in late summer,” said Chris Conlan, supervising vector ecologist for the County of San Diego Vector Control Program.

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From KUSI
April 3, 2018

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) — With mosquito season near, County officials reminded people Tuesday that they need to dump out standing water and protect themselves from mosquitoes if they want to stay safe from illnesses like West Nile virus and Zika.

County Supervisor Greg Cox and Chris Conlan, a supervising vector ecologist with the County’s Vector Control Program, held the County’s annual mosquito-prevention kickoff event Tuesday afternoon at Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center in National City.

“The most important message we want to get out today,” Cox said, “is that you can help prevent these diseases. All you have to do to help fight mosquitoes and disease is follow the County’s ‘Prevent, Protect, Report’ mantra.

“Prevent mosquitoes from breeding,” Cox said, “by dumping out standing water inside and outside homes. Protect against mosquitoes by wearing insect repellent and proper clothing. And report mosquito activity and dead birds to County Vector Control.”

The County has held the annual mosquito prevention kickoff for nearly 15 years and reiterated its main messages Tuesday — that mosquitoes can breed in the smallest amounts of water.

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From EurekAlert!
April 2, 2018

A Zika vaccine could have a substantial effect on mitigating and preventing future Zika virus outbreaks. Through a combination of direct protection and indirect reduction of transmissions, virtual elimination is achievable, even with imperfect vaccine efficacy and coverage. The researcher is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Mosquito-borne and sexually transmitted Zika virus has become widespread across Central and South America, and the Caribbean. A viable vaccine is expected to be available in the next several years, but a vaccine’s effectiveness in preventing infections depends not only on its efficacy, but also on demographic and fertility patterns, local Zika attack rates, and the proportion of the population still susceptible when it becomes available.

Researchers from Yale School of Public Health developed a computer model to quantify the effect of a Zika vaccination strategy that prioritized females aged 9 to 49 years, followed by males aged 9 to 49 years. The model considered both vector-borne and sexual transmission, as well as country-specific mosquito density. The researchers found that a vaccine that was about 75 percent effective and covered about 90 percent of females aged 9 to 49 years would reduce the incidence of prenatal infections by at least 94 percent, depending on the country-specific Zika attack rate. They also found that in regions where an outbreak is not expected for at least 10 years, vaccination of women aged 15 to 29 years is more efficient than that of women aged 30 years or older.

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From Yale News
March 29, 2018

A Yale-led research team developed a new RNA therapy, delivered through the nose, to treat mice infected with West Nile Virus. The innovative approach reduced the virus in the brain, allowing the immune system to destroy the virus and develop long-term protection against West Nile Virus disease, the researchers said.

The findings, published in Cell Host & Microbe, may represent a breakthrough strategy for treating West Nile Virus after virus invasion of the brain and the central nervous system, noted senior author Priti Kumar, M.D., associate professor of infectious disease at Yale School of Medicine.    

There are no approved vaccines or effective therapies for West Nile Virus disease, a mosquito-borne condition. While many infected individuals have no symptoms, others — particularly the very young and older adults — can develop severe neurological problems and even die from the disease. The sporadic nature of the disease makes it exceedingly difficult for testing and implementing vaccines, said Kumar.

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From The Press-Telegram
March 29, 2018

It was 6 a.m. and the sun wasn’t due up for another hour. But vector ecologists Harold Morales and Steve Vetrone were already on the road.

The pair spend most of their days tracking and studying mosquitoes to tamp down the spread of deadly diseases, such as West Nile Virus. But last Tuesday, the pair headed to San Jacinto to snag a semi-secret, very scientific, virus-fighting weapon.

Chickens. Sentinel Chickens.

“These guys are out on duty every night,” said Susanne Kluh, the director of scientific-technical services for the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control. “I love our little guardians.”

For decades, vector-control agencies in California, responsible for fighting insidious disease-carrying pests and rodents, have relied on the domesticated fowl as a surveillance tool to predict when human cases of West Nile Virus and St. Louis Encephalitis are likely to occur.

They are, in a way, the perfect canary in the coal mine for such a task: They sit in coops throughout Southern California 24 hours a day, seven days a week, waiting to get bit. And unlike canaries, the first to die in the mines, chickens don’t get sick from the diseases they contract. Rather, they form antibodies that allow vector control to test their blood.

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From The Escalon Times
March 28, 2018

San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District is responding to the surge of recent storms and predicted warm temperatures.

“District mosquito control personnel will be increasing surveillance and mosquito control activities on public and private land,” said Aaron Devencenzi, Public Information Officer with the District. “Early mosquito population suppression is critical to reducing the risk of mosquito-borne disease later in the year.”

People can help by doing simple actions like removing standing water from outdoor buckets and containers along with repairing leaking faucets and broken sprinklers to reduce mosquito development. Properly dispose of old tires or keep them in a dry area. Often forgotten, rain gutters clogged with leaves hold water and need to be cleaned, said officials. If you or your neighbor has a neglected swimming pool, call the District for mosquito prevention help.

The District’s mosquito control activities include: making recommendations to property owners on methods to reduce mosquito breeding conditions; educating the public on mosquito prevention techniques, including the use of repellents; introducing mosquitofish to ponds, ditches, and other aquatic sites; and spraying areas where mosquitoes are found.

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From Healio
March 28, 2018

Neurologic and ocular birth defects occur in 7% of offspring of mothers located in French territories of the Americas who have lab-confirmed Zika virus infection, according to research published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Additionally, defects were most likely to occur if the mother was infected with Zika in the first trimester of pregnancy.

“It has been recognized recently that Zika virus infection (ZIKV) during pregnancy can cause severe birth defects, including microcephaly, other brain defects and congenital Zika syndrome,” Bruno Hoen, MD, PhD, from the INSERM Centre d’Investigation Clinique 1424, and colleagues wrote. “However, the magnitude of this risk is not clearly defined. It was estimated to be higher than 40% in a prospective observational study in Brazil involving women who had symptomatic ZIKV infection during pregnancy.”

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From Action News Now
March 28, 2018

From The Manteca Bulletin
March 27, 2018

Extensive March rains and temperatures climbing to 80 degrees by Saturday means things can really “bite” in the coming weeks.
San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District is warning that it’s the perfect combination to unleash mosquitoes in greater numbers than have been seen in years for spring.

“District mosquito control personnel will be increasing surveillance and mosquito control activities on public and private land,” said Aaron Devencenzi, Public Information Officer with the District. “Early mosquito population suppression is critical to reducing the risk of mosquito-borne disease later in the year.”

People can help by doing simple actions like removing standing water from outdoor buckets and containers along with repairing leaking faucets and broken sprinklers to reduce mosquito development. Properly dispose of old tires or keep them in a dry area. 

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From Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
March 27, 2018

People infected with West Nile virus can show a wide range of disease. Some develop life-threatening brain infections. Others show no signs of infection at all. One reason for the different outcomes may lie in the community of microbes that populate their intestinal tracts.

A study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that mice are more susceptible to severe West Nile disease if they have recently taken antibiotics that change the make-up of their gut bacterial community.

“The immune system is activated differently if the gut does not have a healthy microbiome,” said senior author Michael S. Diamond, MD, PhD, the Herbert S. Gasser Professor of Medicine. “If someone is sick with a bacterial infection, they absolutely should take antibiotics. But it is important to remember that there may be collateral effects. You might be affecting your immune response to certain viral infections.”

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