From The Eastsider
September 19, 2017
Officials will be going door-to-door in the Los Feliz-Glendale area on Wednesday, Sept. 20 to warn residents about the risks posed by the potentially deadly West Nile Virus after the area emerged as a hotspot for the mosquito-borne disease.
The Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District, the public health agency charged with fighting mosquito-borne illnesses, is taking extra precautionary steps after about a dozen human cases of West Nile virus have been detected in the Glendale-Los Feliz area since the beginning of the year, according to county health statistics. That represents nearly 15% of the 81 human cases reported so far in the county.
“Residents in Glendale, Los Feliz, Atwater Village, and Elysian Valley are at higher risk of getting sick from mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus,” according to a district press release. “Test results to date indicate a significant increase in WNV infection in Culex mosquitoes from these communities even though mosquito numbers in these areas are lower than the 5-year average. At this time of year, mosquito bite prevention is most important.”
District employees will be distributing educational materials to residents. In addition, the agency will partner with local officials to urge residents to prevent bites by wearing insect repellent and eliminating standing water sources around their yards and patios.