LAKEPORT, Calif. – Four mosquito samples collected this week in Lake County have tested positive for West Nile Virus.
Two of the positive mosquito samples were collected near Upper Lake on Monday and Tuesday, one sample was collected south of Kelseyville on Tuesday and one sample was collected in Clearlake Oaks last Friday, Aug. 10, Lake County Vector Control said Thursday. The previous West Nile Virus-positive mosquito sample was collected last week near Upper Lake.
A total of five mosquito samples from Lake County have tested positive for West Nile Virus this year. No other West Nile Virus activity has been reported in Lake County in 2012, the district reported.
“We are finding West Nile Virus in Culex mosquitoes,” said Jamesina J. Scott, Ph.D., the district manager and research director of the Lake County Vector Control District. “They develop in wading pools, neglected swimming pools and spas, ponds, fountains, and other water sources. You can protect your family – and your neighbors – by dumping out small water sources like wading pools, or calling the District for help with larger sources like pools and ponds.”
One neglected (“green”) pool can produce hundreds of thousands mosquitoes per week, and those mosquitoes can fly up to five miles away.
The district recommends that residents:
- Avoid being outside when mosquitoes are active, especially near dusk and dawn.
- Wear long sleeves and pants and use a mosquito repellent (always read and follow label directions) if they are outside when mosquitoes are active.
- Dump out buckets, wading pools, and other sources of water where mosquitoes develop.
- Call the district at 707-263-4770 or visit the district Web site www.lcvcd.org to request service if they are having problems with mosquitoes.
West Nile Virus has been detected in Lake County every year since its arrival in 2004, but only three residents have become ill from West Nile Virus infection in that time.
Dr. Scott attributes the low incidence of West Nile Virus disease in Lake County residents to the district’s vigorous efforts to control mosquitoes.
The Vector Control District regularly traps and tests mosquitoes throughout the county to identify the areas that are at highest risk, and target those areas for source reduction and treatment.
The district reported that mosquito activity – particularly for the Culex mosquitoes that transmit West Nile Virus – has been very high in some localized areas of the county.
While mosquitoes are an important part of the environment and cannot be eliminated completely, the district works to reduce mosquito populations near places where people live and recreate to prevent disease.
Lake County Vector Control provides free mosquito-eating fish to Lake County residents for use in animal water troughs, ornamental ponds and out-of-service (“green”) swimming pools.
For those services or for help with a mosquito problem contact the Lake County Vector Control District at 707-263-4770 or visit the district Web site at www.lcvcd.org .
For more information about West Nile Virus, visit www.westnile.ca.gov/ .