Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District workers were out with their spray equipment Friday evening in Oakley after two groups of mosquitoes there tested positive for West Nile virus, the district said.
In addition to the mosquitoes, four dead birds have tested positive for the virus and antibodies were detected in five sentinel chickens, the agency said in a news release.
An East County man died from West Nile virus on July 16, marking the first death from the disease reported in Contra Costa County since 2006.
“The presence of WNV-positive mosquito samples, dead birds, and sentinel chickens in Oakley indicates an elevated risk currently exists for residents and visitors in that area,” said Steve Schutz, scientific program director for the vector control district.
Certain birds can become infected with West Nile virus, and when a mosquito feeds on an infected bird, the mosquito can become infected. An infected mosquito can spread the virus to a human or other animal through a single bite. The infection can be dangerous to humans, with symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, or rash.
“The presence of WNV-positive mosquito samples … in Oakley indicates an elevated risk currently exists for residents and visitors in that area.”
Steve Schutz, Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District
Friday’s mosquito treatment took place from about 8:30 to 11 p.m. on the northern border of Oakley, along Big Break Regional Trail, from Piper Lane on the west to Marsh Creek on the east and behind the homes bordering Ironhorse Sanitary District property.
The district used truck-mounted ultra-low volume equipment to apply Zenivex E4 RTU, a public health pesticide, at a rate of 1.5 ounces per acre.
The district uses an integrated vector management program, meaning it uses a variety of protocols for controlling mosquitoes. These protocols include public education, physical control including managing vector habitat, biological control such as mosquitofish, and chemical control such as public health pesticides.
The majority of the district’s mosquito control is completed when mosquitoes are still in their aquatic form, in their water source. Once mosquitoes emerge from the water as adults, the only effective method to control them is by adult mosquito control.
To reduce the risk of mosquito bites, the district recommends using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellents containing at least one ingredient such as DEET, Picaridin, the repellent version of oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535.
More information is available on the district’s website.
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