As Southern California welcomes warmer weather, public health officials are becoming increasingly anxious about a potential spike in mosquito populations, specifically within the Eaton Fire burn zone. According to CBS News Los Angeles, abandoned pools in this area are at risk of becoming breeding grounds for millions of the pesky insects, which can carry diseases such as dengue fever and the West Nile virus.
Jason Farned, the district manager of San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District (SGVMVCD), stated that "one swimming pool can breed up to a million mosquitos or grow up to a million mosquitos in one month." Notably, Pasadena recorded its first locally transmitted case of dengue fever in 2023, and officials are concerned that mosquito activity stemming from the Eaton Fire could exacerbate the situation. Last year, Los Angeles County reported 11 instances of dengue in residents, a figure that underscores the seriousness of these breeding grounds.
More than 1,300 pools are currently unattended in the affected area. Anais Medina Diaz with SGVMVCD highlighted the magnitude of the issue, telling ABC7, "Up to 3 million mosquitoes can grow in one pool in the span of a month." Consequently, the district has begun field operations to treat these water bodies to mitigate the risk of mosquito-transmitted diseases.
Interestingly, to address the problem, SGVMVCD has been using aerial surveillance to identify over 1,300 of these potentially problematic pools within the Eaton Fire burn zone. Anais Medina Diaz explained that they are targeting these pools, "using this potential flight range to address pools that are within a mile of populated communities on the perimeter of the Eaton burn scar," in a statement obtained by LAist.
The districts are employing a variety of methods to combat the mosquito issue, including draining or removing pools with the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and applying larvicide. For longer-term solutions, officials suggested the introduction of "Mosquitofish," which can control the mosquito population indefinitely once established in the pools. Residents in the affected areas are being urged to contact vector control to help identify and manage unattended pools. For those in and around the Eaton Fire zone, SGVMVCD is offering services to treat pools at no cost and encourages residents to enroll in their SGVpools program for support.
