Mosquitos carrying West Nile virus have been found in Seal Beach, prompting intensified abatement efforts in and around the city.
Four mosquitos trapped last week at Hellman Ranch and the Seal Beach Nature Center tested positive for the virus, which can cause fever, weakness, encephalitis and meningitis. Mosquitos caught earlier this month in Leisure World also tested positive for WNV, prompting the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District to declare residents there at high risk for the contracting the disease. In response, the county has stepped up its treatment and abatement plans, said Jared Dever, O.C. Vector Control communications director.
“We’re now applying larva-killing treatments every nine days, instead of the usual 11 to 14 day cycle, and this seems to have been effective around Leisure World. We’re also coordinating our efforts with L.A. County around the Haynes Power Station adjacent to Seal Beach,” where large areas of standing water are fertile breeding grounds for mosquitos and other insects.
In Leisure World, Vector Control quickly implemented an abatement program that includes eliminating breeding sources, and community outreach. At one point, using truck-mounted foggers to spray pesticides was considered, but tests of mosquitos collected from traps last week indicated that would not be necessary.
“Fogging is the last tool in our arsenal, and only kills about 30 percent of adult mosquitos,” said Dever. “Spraying the larva, eliminating breeding areas and engaging the community is much more effective.”
For more information about mosquito abatement efforts and the West Nile threat, visit the Vector Control website at www.ocvcd.org.
“Due to the average age of our [residents] and the presence of mosquitos testing positive for West Nile virus, Vector has deemed the community at high risk,” said Randy Ankeny, executive director of Golden Rain Foundation, which manages Leisure World. In a letter to mutual board (homeowners association) presidents in the 8,000-resident, over-55 community, he outlined abatement efforts and steps residents can take to minimize their risk of infection.
