San Diego City Wire

San Diego County News Center reported that County Vector Control crews plan to hand-spray for mosquitoes at approximately 60 homes and a community center in Oceanside. This measure aims to protect public health and prevent the potential spread of the dengue virus following a confirmed case.

The spraying is scheduled for Tuesday, weather permitting. Details on the treatment are available on Vector Control’s mosquito treatment webpage. A similar operation was conducted in July this year in San Diego's Mount Hope community.

Trained County technicians will use AquaDuet, an EPA-approved pesticide, with ultra-low-volume backpack sprayers to target adult mosquitoes capable of spreading diseases. Over the weekend, County staff informed residents and distributed door hangers in the treatment area. The pesticide poses low risk to people and pets, dissipating within 20 to 30 minutes. Residents can minimize exposure by taking simple precautions.

Dengue is a tropical viral disease not commonly found in the contiguous United States. Since invasive Aedes mosquitoes were first detected in San Diego County in 2014, there have been no locally acquired cases of dengue. However, U.S. travelers can contract dengue abroad; from January 1 to June 30, 2024, there were 17 travel-related cases among San Diego County residents.

Dengue spreads through mosquito bites when an infected mosquito feeds on another person. According to the CDC, there are no specific treatments for dengue; symptoms include fever, chills, aches and pains, nausea, vomiting, and rash. While most recover within a week, severe cases may require hospitalization.

To prevent dengue infection, individuals should protect themselves from mosquito bites by eliminating standing water around their homes where mosquitoes breed and using insect repellent containing EPA-approved ingredients like DEET or picaridin.

For more information about mosquito control measures visit San Diego County’s “Fight the Bite” website.