The war against mosquito-borne illness takes to the streets of East San José as Santa Clara County gears up to tackle the invasion of the non-native and disease-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The County of Santa Clara Vector Control District is setting plans in motion for a pest-control blitz, with a series of treatments aimed at putting a stop to the rapidly breeding invaders before they settle in for good. The county announced that the first treatment is scheduled for the break of the day on May 29.
Since early April, officials have clocked a dozen of these unwanted guests. This type not only crashes your daytime outdoor parties but also potentially carries a host of nasty viruses such as Zika, dengue fever, yellow fever, and chikungunya, which have played havoc in regions where the mosquito is a common pest. Though measures such as applying larvicide to private property were tried, those efforts have yet to quell the burgeoning population of Aedes aegypti, thus warranting a more aggressive approach.
The treatment method chosen, Wide Area Larvicide Spraying, lets loose a truck-mounted mist that showers the targeted neighborhoods with a bacterial insecticide, which has the green light from the experts as being harmless to humans, pets, and the greater wildlife community but is fatal for mosquito larvae. Edgar Nolasco, director of the County of Santa Clara Consumer and Environmental Protection Agency, emphasized the need for the treatments: "Aedes aegypti is a significant public health risk and a threat to our quality of life, and we need to do everything in our power to prevent it from establishing itself in our community," he stated via the Santa Clara County press release.
On the eve of the battle against these pesky insects, county officials are not taking things lightly. They are planning a neighborhood meeting on May 28 at the Alum Rock Branch Library to educate locals on what’s coming, field questions, and hammer home the point that everyone’s got a part to play. Residents are being urged to police their own premises for standing water where mosquitoes breed and remove it.
The community's cooperation could be the determining factor in stifling this mosquito mutiny, with daily vigilance required to dump standing water from pet dishes and planting pots. The like to destroy breeding grounds, alongside recommended protective measures like using insect repellents and wearing cover-up clothing during peak mosquito hours because the Aedes aegypti doesn't roam far from home, making neighborhood cleanup efforts supremely effective if consistently applied. For those who experience mosquito attacks during daylight or present symptoms after traveling to virus hot spots, reporting to the local health authorities is crucial for keeping potential disease transmission in check. Santa Clara's Public Health Department stays alert, monitoring the spread of viruses in a collaborative justice league with medical providers and labs, all on the mission to keep these pint-sized predators–and their viral parcels–at bay.
