A team of vector ecologists in Santa Clara County is burrowing into the issue of disease-carrying fleas with a new study to uncover the potential public health risks posed by the tiny parasites. According to a recent report, staff from the County of Santa Clara Vector Control District kitted out in white protective suits, have descended upon Ed R. Levin County Park to probe ground squirrel burrows, intent on fleshing out the details of flea species and the dangerous bacteria they might carry.

The concern is rooted in the historical foothold of diseases like the bubonic plague in the region's flea population – although incidence rates of such high-profile diseases are low these days. The average number of human plague cases in the U.S. is around seven per year, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states. However, the Santa Clara team isn't taking any chances, turning their attention to other lesser-known but potentially severe bacterial infections such as Bartonella and Rickettsia.

Noor Tietze, the district's scientific-technical services manager, highlighted their work's proactive nature in a statement obtained by the County of Santa Clara newsroom. "We want to know what’s out there, what the infection rates are, and then we can get some kind of risk estimate for the public. There’s not a whole lot of risk identified right now, but we want to determine that and advise the public accordingly," he explained.

While the vector control team has already collected samples from four county parks and expects to see results by this summer, ground squirrels don't present an imminent threat to visitors. Nevertheless, officials are urging the public to be cautious and avoid areas where these rodents make their homes, especially as the vectors monitored for flea infestations are routinely checked for carriers of Lyme disease and other ailments.

Mosquitoes also remain a perennial issue, with the district maintaining robust prevention strategies. An endeavor to control populations and monitor for West Nile virus, a common and serious contender in California's vector-borne diseases, is ongoing. The finding of an invasive mosquito species – Aedes aegypti – back in 2022 prompted an aggressive eradication effort from the district, successfully thwarting its establishment in the area, as reported by the County of Santa Clara newsroom.