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Long Beach's health department has recently confirmed the city's first case of St. Louis encephalitis (SLEV) since 1984. This case, part of a dozen detected statewide this year, highlights the ongoing risk of mosquito-borne illnesses.

Los Angeles County residents are facing an unsettling surge in the number of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Often termed "ankle biters" for their propensity to bite below the waist, these mosquitoes have shown a marked increase in presence this year.

The Los Angeles County reports its first death from the West Nile Virus (WNV) this year, urging the community to increase preventative measures against mosquito bites. With 19 confirmed WNV cases in 2023, residents are advised to use EPA-registered mosquito repellents, mosquito-proof their homes, and eliminate standing water to curb the breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

World Mosquito Day, observed on August 20th, 2023, provides a global platform to raise awareness about the impact mosquitoes have on human health and to promote the management of mosquito-borne diseases. In line with these global efforts, California also marks its own Mosquito Awareness Day, as an opportunity to educate Californians about the importance of preventing mosquito breeding sites, protecting themselves from bites, and cooperating with local health authorities to report sightings and potential mosquito-borne disease outbreaks.

Despite reports of recent malaria cases in Florida and Texas, local transmission of malaria in the U.S. is very rare. Most malaria cases are acquired when people travel outside of the U.S. where malaria transmission occurs. Anopheles mosquitoes that can spread malaria are present in California, but the parasites that cause malaria are not currently found in these mosquitoes in California. The last cases of local transmission of malaria in California were reported in 1990.

New legislation would increase funding for the CDC’s mosquito response efforts.

These insects – annoying at best, deadly at worst – thrive in warmth and humidity. As climate change ushers in more frequent and more severe heat waves, as well as storms and floods that leave behind pools of stagnant water in which most breed, it’s boom time for mosquitoes.

The combination of an unusually wet season from rainfall and melting snow packs and intense heat waves this year appears to be dramatically increasing the mosquito populations.

And, CDC scientists say, those mosquitoes have become increasingly resistant to the insecticides that communities use in mass sprays to try to kill the bugs and their eggs.

The second reported human case of the West Nile Virus infection in California is now confirmed by San Joaquin County Public Health Services.

The patient, a 49-year-old man, is the first confirmed human case in San Joaquin County, with the first one being in Tulare County.

Compton Creek Mosquito Abatement District's General Manager spoke at Councilwoman Duhart's first townhall meeting on July 16th at Gonzales Park.