Health officials raise awareness about mosquito season
Mosquito season is here and Riverside County health officials are telling people to be prepared, as some species are capable of transmitting infectious viruses such as zika or West Nile viruses.
“The mosquitoes are all over the county, they’re not just in the desert, they’re in the western and southern parts of the county, pretty much they’re all over,” Sharon Fortino, a nurse with the Riverside University Health System, said.
Officials are referring to the aedes aegypti mosquito. They credit a proactive vector control for keeping the population from going out of hand, helping keep the cases of the viruses low in Riverside County. Officials say currently there are no cases of West Nile right now.
The two active cases of zika in the county have come from people traveling from countries such as Mexico where the virus is more prevalent. They are asking people to take steps to prevent the spread of mosquitoes.
“if you have pots that you’re watering plants in, make sure there’s no standing water. take care of your pools,” Fortino said.
One zika expert says it’s a good idea for anyone, especially pregnant women, to get tested, if they are bitten in a country that has cases of the virus. The virus can effect the development of unborn babies.
“it’s such a straightforward way to minimize that additional risk for a woman’s pregnancy,” Dr. Neal Silverman, UCLA professor, said.
Resources on vector diseases such as zika can be found here.
