Dirty Water Poses West Nile Risk

Eric Herman Headshot

Due to recent confirmed cases of West Nile Virus near Redlands and Loma Linda, Calif., San Bernardino County sheriff's helicopter crews are looking for unmaintained swimming pools and other standing bodies of water where mosquitoes are breeding.

As of Friday, Aug. 31, two human cases of West Nile had been confirmed in San Bernardino County and one human case had been confirmed in Riverside County, according to the state Department of Public Health.

A 24-year-old Fontana woman hospitalized with West Nile Virus was the first human case identified in San Bernardino County this year, health officials said last week.

β€œIn response to recent exposures of the West Nile Virus, the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department has launched a program in coordination with the County's Public Health β€” Vector Control,” the sheriff's public affairs division announced in a statement in late August.

β€œIn their day to day duties, Sheriff's Aviation flight crews will be actively looking for areas of standing water and swimming pools that are obviously not being maintained," the statement said. "Both are the primary breeding grounds for mosquitoes.”

Sheriff's helicopters have mapping systems that can be coordinated with county parcel information. Flight officers can obtain specific address information.

Once identified, the information will be forwarded to Vector Control for any enforcement action, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Sheriff's helicopter crews have noticed more unmaintained pools this summer, and increased residential foreclosures may be a factor.

"Over the summer months, the Aviation Unit has noticed an increased number of pools that are not being maintained," the sheriff's West Nile statement said. "This could be attributed to the increased number of residential foreclosures. "The Sheriff’s Department hopes the information given to Vector Control will assist them in issuing corrective notices in a timely manner."

Across the U.S. this year, more than 1,500 human cases of West Nile Virus, including 65 fatalities, had been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of Aug. 28. Two deaths have been reported so far this year in California, in Kern and Fresno counties.

From the Redlands-Loma Linda Patch.

Buyer's Guide
Find manufacturers and suppliers in the most extensive searchable database in the industry.
Learn More
Buyer's Guide
Content Library
Dig through our best stories from the magazine, all sorted by category for easy surfing.
Read More
Content Library