From the East Bay Times
July 24, 2019
In the past year, California has experienced multiple public health crises. Last October, San Diego County health authorities declared an end to a Hepatitis A outbreak that killed 20 people and sickened nearly 600. That same month, health officials warned the public of a typhus outbreak in downtown Los Angeles. And now public health departments across the state are scrambling to prevent a widespread outbreak of measles.
But when most people think about mosquitoes, they consider them nuisances that cause itchy bites. They don’t think about the public health risk and potential for mosquito-borne disease transmission. However, the threat of mosquito-borne diseases, especially West Nile virus, is also very serious and must be a public-health priority.
That’s why I’m advocating for more state funding to support vector-borne-disease research, surveillance and data collection. It’s critical that mosquito- and vector-control professionals and public health officials have resources they need to track and predict the emergence of mosquito-borne diseases and efficiently respond.