[ad_1]
Stock image, St. George News
UTAH SOUTH – Agencies in southern Utah and surrounding areas started early in the battle against an insect that remains the deadliest creature on the planet thanks to a freeze in February, while Nevada has reported its first case West Nile virus this season.
The Southern Nevada Health District announced that a woman over 50 had contracted the most serious neuroinvasive form, but that she had recovered since, according to a statement released Friday by the district.
Arizona has reported several mosquito pools positive for the virus.
No other species on earth is responsible for the loss of human lives each year as much as mosquitoes. A remarkably accomplished vector of the disease, mosquitoes have found a niche all over the world except Antarctica, and kill more than 700,000 people worldwide each year, according to the World Health Organization.
Early intervention is essential to limit the number of mosquitoes in the state, and the district control and mosquito control in southern Utah, in Washington County, is the case.
Since February, the agency's technicians have been monitoring and treating a number of mosquito sites scattered throughout the county, looking for mosquito larvae in all the places where stagnant water is found, an environment in which most mosquito species lay their eggs, Sean Amodt, director of the Southwest District Mosquito Control and Reduction District, said.
The biggest concern for the south of Utah is the increase in rainfall this year, which will have little effect on the number of visitors as long as the precipitation rises up. in May and June will be minimal, said Amodt.
"It's not the snow melt that affects the number of mosquitoes, it's the rain flowing in the storm basins and wherever the puddles are deposited."
Most mosquito species lay in stagnant water and each female can lay 100 to 200 eggs that hatch in warm weather. These populations continue to increase accordingly, reaching their peak during the hot summer months.
What was different this year, Amodt said, is a brief rise in temperature in February, followed immediately by a steep drop, allowing the larvae to rise to the surface during the puncture, which was then treated at the same time. help from a biological agent that deals with the formation of surface water. it is impossible for them to breathe.
"Mosquitoes hatch in warm weather and lay their eggs when it cools. So we had both this year in quick succession, which worked very well. "
This temperature fluctuation also provided the teams with a two-week window of opportunity to treat all areas where larvae had already been discovered, he said. Larvae need warmer temperatures to mature. They remain trapped and alive in the water as long as the temperature increases, regardless of the duration.
"With the larvae, it all depends on the weather and the water."
The district also monitors the adult mosquito population by installing more than 40 traps across the county each week using carbon dioxide, which mimics human breathing, as well as a light source. Once the mosquitoes are collected, they are immediately tested for equine encephalitis virus of West and West Nile.
This information is then used to develop a plan of attack, using either a bacterium that inhibits the growth of larvae to never reach maturity, or the surfactant, the agent used on the surface of the water , to eliminate the larvae.
The agency's efforts seem to be paying off as no West Nile virus has infected a human being in southern Utah last year.
All sectors or communities do not have an organization specifically designed to deal with a single insect population, Amodt added, adding that although many people badume that the area has no mosquito problem, the lack of something is not so easily noticeable. agriculture notices the decrease in mosquito population and do not hesitate to tell them.
"Knowledge is power, and the district allows us to collect data specific to our region, which is used to make the best decisions to protect the public from mosquito-borne diseases," said Amodt. .
The district also relies on the public to call and report mosquito populations that exist in areas that are not already treated each year, and the agency makes many calls for service each year, he said. , adding that public education was also part of their efforts.
The agency also collaborates with pollution reduction programs across the state and in Arizona and Nevada to manage mosquito populations.
What to do around your home
Amodt does not recommend mosquito traps that use CO2. The traps attract a lot of mosquitoes, but they will not all be caught and the rest will sting. Here are some other tips:
- Empty or cover anything that can hold water outdoors.
- Regularly filter permanent ponds or put fish on them. Fish eat mosquito larvae.
- Keep chlorinated or drained pools completely.
- Clean clogged gutters and storm sewers regularly.
- Effectively manage the water of irrigation.
- Store old tires inside or cover them.
- Report other mosquito breeding sites to the district.
Arizona
The most common mosquito-borne disease in Arizona is West Nile virus, and mosquitoes in areas near Pheonix have been positive for the virus since the beginning of the year.
According to officials from Mohave County's Department of Public Health, surveillance and nebulization operations are underway to reduce the mosquito population throughout the region.
For more information, check out the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Nevada
The Southern Nevada Health District Mosquito Surveillance Program routinely tests mosquito pools for West Nile, St. Louis encephalitis and Western Equine Encephalitis. So far this season, no mosquito pool has been tested positive.
In Clark County, 174 traps were installed and 496 mosquitoes were submitted for badysis to the Southern Nevada Public Health Laboratory.
For more information and prevention tips, go to CDC of Prevent Mosquito Mites Web page.
E-mail: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews
Copyright St. George News, St.GeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, All Rights Reserved.
[ad_2]
Source link
