Submitted by John Tato
The Coronado Times reported that mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus have been found at three Coronado locations: the southwest portion of the Coronado Golf Course, near Orange and Loma avenues, and between A and B avenues around Eighth Street. The county consequently notified approximately 1,470 nearby residents.
Residents should eliminate standing water, use insect repellent and maintain window screens, but the response cannot rest entirely on individual households. The discovery of infected mosquitoes at three locations indicates a communitywide threat requiring a coordinated response from the city.
First, the city should immediately ask San Diego County Vector Control to conduct an expanded Coronado assessment. That should include additional traps around the three detection sites and at other likely breeding areas, identification of mosquito species, repeated testing for West Nile virus, and a public map showing the areas being monitored.
Second, city and county personnel should jointly inspect storm drains, parks, the golf course, landscaped public property, wetlands, and other places where water may collect. The city should correct breeding conditions on municipal property and ask the county to apply larvicide wherever mosquito larvae are found. The county already treats standing-water sources by hand, truck and, in large or inaccessible areas, helicopter.
Third, the city should formally request that the county determine whether the Coronado findings satisfy its criteria for adult-mosquito treatment. The county can use targeted, ultra-low-volume spraying when surveillance reveals an elevated public-health risk that cannot be adequately controlled through source removal and applying larvicide. The decision depends on trap counts, disease testing, and other risk factors. Therefore, the city should request the county’s written assessment and make it public.
Finally, Coronado should establish a single reporting system for residents experiencing unusually high mosquito activity and transmit those reports to Vector Control. Residents may also report activity directly at 858-694-2888 or [email protected].
The county has the expertise and legal authority to perform mosquito control, but Coronado must initiate and vigorously pursue a comprehensive response. Warning residents is appropriate. Determining where these mosquitoes are breeding and treating both their larvae and, if warranted, infected adults is essential.
John Tato
