Increase in mosquito population throughout Orange County — particularly in Santa Ana — has vector officials on alert

From The Orange County Register
September 19, 2017

SANTA ANA – Wilshire Square resident Raul Ramos was tossing out trash in his backyard on a Saturday two weeks ago when he noticed some standing water. Then he noticed he had mosquito bites.

A few hours later, he was rushed to the hospital with symptoms that included nausea and aching all over his body. He was hospitalized for a week, and for four days had a 105-degree fever.

“I called the vector department. All the symptoms on their brochure, I had,” Ramos, 62, said Tuesday, Sept. 19 from his home on the 2100 block of South Birch Street.

Though it’s unclear whether the mosquito bites led to Ramos’ illness, the incident underscores the need for residents to be cautious.

The Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District posted up at Ramos’ home on Tuesday to get the word out about a significant increase in invasive Aedes mosquitoes countywide, with the highest populations in Santa Ana neighborhoods.

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