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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMosquito and Vector Control PresentationVectors and Vector-borne Disease in Orange County Scope and Governance •Established in 1947 as the Orange County Mosquito Abatement District ▪Independent Special District governed by the California H&S Code •Serves all of Orange County’s 34 cities and unincorporated areas ▪3.2 million residents •Governed by a 35-member Board of Trustees ▪One City appointed representative from each city ▪One appointee from County What is a Vector? A Vector is an organism, typically a biting insect or tick, that transmits a disease or parasite from one animal to another animal or person. Services We Provide •Education: outreach events, presentations, literature, web, social media •Surveillance: testing pathogens in mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, rodents, birds,and opossums •Control of mosquitoes, RIFA, rats, filth flies▪Source reduction - eliminate breeding▪Biological control - Mosquitofish▪Chemical control - larvicide, adulticide Why are Mosquitoes Important? Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti Asian Tiger Mosquito Aedes albopictus Australian Backyard Mosquito Aedes notoscriptus •Zika •Dengue viruses •Yellow fever •Chikungunya •West Nile virus •Dog heartworm •Dengue viruses •Zika •Chikungunya •West Nile virus •Dog heartworm •Dog heartworm •West Nile virus Southern House Mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus Inspection and Control of Mosquitoes •Maintaining a database of known breeding sources▪Abandoned or unmaintained swimming pools ▪Gutters ▪Manholes and storm drains ▪Flood channels Large Breeding Sources Improperly-Planned BMPMarshes and Wetlands Nurseries Pools and Spas Drains/City Infrastructure Backyard and Small Sources Invasive Mosquito Breeding West Nile Virus in OC •Human Infections (7)6 neuroinvasive,1 asymptomatic Anaheim (1), La Habra (1), Orange (3), Stanton (1), Huntington Beach (1) •Positive Mosquito Samples (217) •Positive Dead Birds (2) •Positive Horses (1) County-wide Average Culex Mosquito Abundance Residents and Mosquitoes Impacts to Residents: •Increased biting pressure from invasive mosquitoes •Reduced quality of life What Residents may see: •Signage regarding mosquito-borne disease activity •Notifications through OCMVCD on control activity Invasive Aedes Mosquitoes •Total Travel-related Dengue Cases •2023 – 24 Cases Investigated •2024 – 18 Cases YTD Investigated Invasive Aedes Heat Map What is SIT? Why SIT? NOW: SIT via irradiation is available to be implemented as soon as the mosquito colonies and equipment are available, no long regulatory process NEW TOOLS: Find new tools to address invasive mosquitoes in the community and reduce the risk of mosquito-borne diseases PROVEN: This method is proven in other insects/pests and more evidence is showing it works for Aedes mosquitoes CONTROL:In-house allows us to augment production for specific geographic ecology and service areas. Explore and refine techniques at a much faster pace, test other species, affords flexibility Why SIT in Mission Viejo? 1.Mission Viejo has high historical service requests for Aedes aegypti and the three times the average mosquito counts compared to any other city traps. 2.The treatment and control site were selected within the city based on highest trap counts and their proximity to dispersal barriers (i.e. freeways, roadways, train tracks etc). Future Impacts 2024… What to expect •Increased travel-related Dengue cases due to epidemics in the Americas •Increased water sources due to continued rainfall, more mosquitoes in the community •Research of new technologies to address Aedes mosquitoes Future Impacts Working Together •Include the District messages in emails and newsletters to residents •Participate in the Annual Summer Awareness Campaign •Share or Reshare social media messaging •Invite the District to community outreach events and presentations •Help increase awareness among residents on the shared responsibility of Vector control: •Tip •Toss •Take Action Questions