Mosquito Surveillance
If you would like to contribute to public health and participate in our surveillance program by having us place a mosquito trap in your yard, click HERE!
Mosquito-borne Diseases in the USA
Although there are only occasional cases of malaria and dengue fever in the United States, mosquitoes here can still cause illness and death in people and animals. Some of the mosquito-borne diseases we are concerned with are:
- West Nile Virus (WNV)
- St. Louis Encephalitis (SLE)
- Western Equine Encephalomyelitis (WEE)
- Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE)
- Dog heartworm
Newly approaching diseases are:
- Dengue Fever
- Zika virus
- Chikungunya
- Yellow Fever
There are about 3,500 different species of mosquitoes worldwide, 53 species in California and 10 species in the Antelope Valley. The "house mosquito" (Culex quinquefasciatus) and the "encephalitis mosquito" (Culex tarsalis) are the most common species in the Antelope Valley. They are both capable of transmitting West Nile Virus to animals and humans. As of Octobre 2018, we have also identified an invasive type of mosquito called Aedes Aegypti which can carry and transmit a host of other diseases that the Culex mosquito can not. Learn more about Aedes mosquitoes HERE.
Mosquito Control in California
California has one of the most extensive mosquito surveillance systems in the entire Nation. This is due to the cooperation of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), California Food and Agriculture, the University of California, and the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California (MVCAC).
The MVCAC is made up of over 60 special districts and local public health agencies throughout California to provide quality public information, comprehensive mosquito and vector-borne disease surveillance, training to high professional standards, and effective legislative advocacy on behalf of California mosquito and vector control districts.
The Antelope Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District conducts surveillance to identify increased mosquito activity as well as an early detection system for mosquito-borne diseases. The diseases that we routinely check for are West Nile Virus (WNV), St. Louis Encephalitis (SLE), and Western Equine Encephalomyelitis (WEE). We utilize several different types of mosquito traps. Look below to learn about them!
