Dengue is primarily carried and transmitted by infected Aedes aegypti, a species of mosquito common to the Riverside County area. While seven human cases of the disease have been reported by Los Angeles and San Diego counties this year, none have been reported in Riverside County.

In addition, it is likely that the seven cases involved people who were traveling elsewhere, according to the statement from the Northwest Mosquito and Vector Control District.

“With fall temperatures, we often spend more time outdoors,” said Jeremy Wittie, general manager for the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District. He noted that mosquitoes are more active in the fall and emphasized that wearing repellent is essential to staying healthy.

The district urged residents to take a handful of steps to help control the spread of Aedes aegypti, including eliminating standing water sources where mosquitoes lay eggs. For those planning on traveling to active transmission areas, officials recommended applying repellents with EPA- registered ingredients and wearing long-sleeve shirts, long pants, socks and shoes.

Reported symptoms of dengue include aches and pains (such as eye pain, typically behind the eyes, muscle, joint, or bone pain), nausea, vomiting, and rash, the statement said.

The district urged anyone with these symptoms to avoid mosquito bites and contact a medical provider.

The post Amid Dengue Cases, RivCo Residents Urged To Take Precautions appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Dengue is primarily carried and transmitted by infected Aedes aegypti, a species of mosquito common to the Riverside County area. While seven human cases of the disease have been reported by Los Angeles and San Diego counties this year, none have been reported in Riverside County.

In addition, it is likely that the seven cases involved people who were traveling elsewhere, according to the statement from the Northwest Mosquito and Vector Control District.

“With fall temperatures, we often spend more time outdoors,” said Jeremy Wittie, general manager for the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District. He noted that mosquitoes are more active in the fall and emphasized that wearing repellent is essential to staying healthy.

The district urged residents to take a handful of steps to help control the spread of Aedes aegypti, including eliminating standing water sources where mosquitoes lay eggs. For those planning on traveling to active transmission areas, officials recommended applying repellents with EPA- registered ingredients and wearing long-sleeve shirts, long pants, socks and shoes.

Reported symptoms of dengue include aches and pains (such as eye pain, typically behind the eyes, muscle, joint, or bone pain), nausea, vomiting, and rash, the statement said.

The district urged anyone with these symptoms to avoid mosquito bites and contact a medical provider.

The post Amid Dengue Cases, RivCo Residents Urged To Take Precautions appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

The effort includes releasing tens of thousands of sterilized male mosquitoes into the wild to mate with female mosquitoes, according to an April release from the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District. The process is called the Sterile Insect Technique, or SIT, and was used by the California Department of Food and Agriculture to control the population of Mediterranean fruit flies in the state. The Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District is also partnering on the move.

“SIT offers a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution to reduce mosquito populations and ultimately minimize the transmission of diseases,” Steven Vetrone, Vector Control District director of scientific-technical services, said in the release.

The male mosquitoes have been sterilized using X-ray technology, officials said, and the eggs laid by female mosquitoes who mate with the released insects will not hatch, “decreasing the overall mosquito population over time.”

Vetrone told Newsweek over email on Friday that the first batch of sterilized male mosquitoes was released Thursday. The mosquitoes will be released “at a ratio between 7:1 and 10:1 sterile to wild males,” Vertrone added, and the releases will continue weekly until the end of October.

“At the height of the mosquito season, as many as 60,000 males a week might be released depending on wild population estimates in surveillance traps in the pilot area,” Vetrone said.

The mosquito species that scientists are hoping to curb is the invasive Aedes, which is able to transmit diseases including dengue, chikungunya and Zika. Over two dozen counties in California reported the presence of Aedes aegypti, also known as the yellow fever mosquito, as of May 3, according to the state Department of Public Health. Los Angeles and Orange counties also contend with the Aedes albopictus, or the Asian tiger mosquito.

According to officials, cited by KCAL, the Aedes mosquitoes are resistant to common pesticides and often lay their eggs in small hidden water sources in residential yards and patio areas, which are hard to reach by control agencies.

The sterilized mosquitoes are being released into two Sunland-Tujunga neighborhoods under the SIT program. Vetrone said in the April release: “While the introduction of male mosquitoes may lead to an increase in noticeable overall insect presence, residents should be able to notice a reduction in biting activity,” as male mosquitoes do not bite.

The post Southern California Releasing Thousands of Mosquitoes appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.