Earlier this month, San Mateo County Mosquito & Vector Control District was awarded the District of Distinction accreditation by the Special District Leadership Foundation (SDLF) for the second time. The District was first designated the two-year District of Distinction accreditation in 2017 in recognition of its sound fiscal management policies and practices in district operations; they also were awarded the Special Districts Leadership Foundation’s Transparency Certificate of Excellence in 2017.
As of June 3, 2019, there have been 86 dead birds reported in San Mateo County. Of those, sixteen have been suitable for testing and all sixteen have tested negative for West Nile virus (WNV). No mosquito pools or sentinel chickens have tested positive for West Nile virus in San Mateo County in 2019.
Surveillance for West Nile virus began in California in mid-April. The District protects residents from this mosquito-borne disease with control methods that target mosquitoes in the larval stage, as well as mosquito population monitoring, disease surveillance and public education. The laboratory staff conducts disease surveillance in three main ways:
