“Depending on the site it can have just a few mosquitoes in the tube they assign it a collection number so we know the location, the date and what type of mosquitoes are in the tube”, Dr. Leslie Wolf said.
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“We’ll certainly see imported cases”, said James Lunders, manager and biologist of Jackson County Vector Control District. While it’s not here yet, transmission of the virus – from mosquito to human and back – has recently been detected in Florida, prompting local officials to plan a response.
Since significant numbers of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes were found in parts of College Point, Flushing and Whitestone, those areas were sprayed with a very low concentration of DUET Dual Action Adulticide from trucks on August 1, between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. In addition, the region is home to other Aedes species, but it’s unknown whether they could be transmitters.
The virus – rife in parts of South and Central America – has been blamed for thousands of babies born with underdeveloped brains and small heads.
For most people, symptoms are usually mild and flu-like, and can occur undetected in people who don’t realize they have it.
Julie Wurth, communications officer at Medford-based La Clinica health centers, said that about a third of the clinic’s patients are Latino and may be more likely to travel to countries where the virus is prevalent.
Meanwhile, Sonoma officials are stepping up their efforts to prepare for the virus in case it begins to spread locally.
First, someone in the area would need to have the virus and be bitten by a mosquito capable of transmitting the virus. Shaded areas on the map do not necessarily mean that there are infected mosquitoes in that area.
“We have not had any of our local mosquitoes test positive, all of our mosquitoes have been negative for Zika and we are going to continue to test those throughout the summer and into the fall”, Mendel said.
However, there have been 114 cases reported statewide since tracking began a year ago. As cases grow, Fresno health leaders are now monitoring the outbreak.
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“In areas without control work, if an epidemic starts, there’s nothing to contain it”, Lunders said. Actual mosquito populations will vary by state and county.
