[ad_1]
A campaign to encourage Los Angeles County residents to make mosquito control part of their daily routine began Monday.
The Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District Public Service Announcement features a tired, overwhelmed mother haunted by a life-size mosquito who is reminded that mosquitoes can be less of a hassle by rocking, throwing and taking action.
The campaign also includes a do-it-yourself mosquito source checklist posted on TipTossTakeAction.org, which advises the public:
- remove standing water in clogged gutters, rain barrels, thrown tires, buckets, drinkers or anything that holds water for more than a week;
- ensure that swimming pools, spas and ponds are properly maintained;
- change the water in pet dishes, birdbaths, and other small containers every week;
- request mosquitoes from the local vector control district for placement in ornamental ponds;
- wear insect repellent recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency outside where mosquitoes may be present; and
- report neglected (green) swimming pools to the local vector control district.
“We hope the campaign will help parents and caregivers make mosquitoes less to worry about by taking these preventative steps to protect their families,” said Mary-Joy Coburn, district director of community affairs.
The start of the campaign coincides with the first day of summer when mosquitoes become active and can transmit debilitating diseases like West Nile virus.
“We are now living in a new world of mosquitoes,” said Anaïs Medina Diaz, district public information officer. “On the one hand we have the challenge of preventing an outbreak of West Nile virus and on the other hand we have the invasive Aedes mosquito which continues to plague our communities. We need residents to join us in protecting their community from mosquitoes.
Since its introduction to the area in 2001, the invasive Aedes mosquito has spread throughout Southland, leaving residents searching for solutions to this aggressive daytime bite.
The Aedes mosquito only needs a spoonful of water to produce up to an additional 100 mosquitoes, which creates a challenge for vector control, as the agency’s vector management strategies were designed to control against the native Culex mosquito capable of transmitting West Nile virus, Medina Diaz said.
West Nile virus is endemic in Southland and there is no human vaccine. It is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito, which becomes infected when it feeds on birds carrying the virus.
.
[ad_2]
Pictures Credit