SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, Calif. — West Nile Virus is back in San Joaquin County. The San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District found mosquitoes that tested positive for the virus in both Tracy and Ripon on Thursday.
"Basically, we went from 80-degree weather to 100-degree weather. During that time, mosquitoes, with the warm weather, their populations increase. This is similar, if not the same time last year that we found West Nile virus," Aaron Devencenzi, a spokesman for the San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District said.
The district has been setting traps all over the county, twice a week, for the past few months.
"We put out traps Mondays, pick them up Tuesdays, and then I test those samples on Wednesdays. And then, our second half of the week, [we set] traps. I pick them up on Thursdays" Sumiko De La Vega, an assistant entomologist said.
It's De La Vega's job to test the mosquitoes as they come in from traps all over the county.
"Basically, we are able to pulverize samples of mosquitoes and extract any West Nile Virus RNA, which is basically the genetic material, and if the sample has that there, that instrument will be able to amplify it so that we're able to detect it on the screen," she explained.
The virus, in its worst form, can cause paralysis or death so the county is reminding everyone to protect themselves from mosquitoes.
They recommend:
- Dump out any standing water around your house
- Use EPA registered repellent
- Wear two layers of clothes when you can in cooler weather
- Make sure window screens at your house are in good condition
- Bring in some mosquitofish for help
"Mosquitofish eat anywhere from 80 to 100 mosquito larvae per fish per day. We provide them free to the public. They can pick them up here at our office [and] we can deliver them out for San Joaquin County residents of course," Devencenzi said.
The county has also taken a proactive approach by spraying for mosquitoes across the county in the early mornings. They started doing that back in March.
"We use truck-mounted sprayers as well as airplanes to spray anywhere from...2/3 of an ounce to 3/4 of an ounce of chemical per acre to reduce the mosquito population," he said.
The Mosquito and Vector Control District is holding a free giveaway for the mosquitofish at the end of the month. For more information click here.
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