September 2020

Thanks to feedback from Bite Back Champions, we are piloting a monthly digest of what’s happening at San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District (SGVMVCD). This is another step in ensuring that our data as a public health agency remains transparent to the public and to people who are interested in our mission.

In Your Community

• There are currently no reports of human cases with West Nile virus in San Gabriel Valley.
• More than 2,750 public and private sites received inspection, treatment, and support.
• Our annual swimming pool texting program, which resolves thousands of unmaintained pools that can breed mosquitoes, is entering its final inspections of 916 pools.

In Education

• Citizen science projects were carried out in a collaboration with the Communications and Surveillance departments to educate community members about mosquito prevention habits and techniques.
• SGVMVCD partnered with the Theodore Payne Foundation to create an online and in-person resource for homeowners who wish to landscape mosquitoes out of their yard! Stay tuned for more...

In Research

• In areas with a history of West Nile virus (WNV) positive mosquito samples, staff is researching diversity of bird species. Birds carry West Nile virus and they spread it to mosquitoes wherever they may fly and roost. Knowledge of local bird populations is extremely useful in WNV disease prevention.
• The detection of Aedes mosquitoes was advanced through the standardization and improvement of ovitrap placement. Ovitraps are special traps that collect the individual eggs laid by Aedes mosquitoes.

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🖋 Written by Ally Gaspar, Outreach Assistant