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Mosquitoes, while small, have caused big problems in Kern. Recently it was West Nile virus, and 70 years ago, it was malaria.
Local history buff George Gilbert Lynch sent me this history on malaria in the county. Interesting reading.
The last epidemic of mosquito-born malaria in Bakersfield...
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Mosquito abatement employees go onto private property without permission from time to time.
This has been done locally to treat abandon pools teeming with mosquitoes (see the photo).
A Pennsylvania businessman, though, considers this trespassing.
From the York Daily Record:
James Yelton,...
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Do mosquitoes serve any purpose besides endlessly annoying us and infecting us with malaria, Dengue fever and West Nile virus?
A reader posted that question in my last blog post, and because it's such a good one, I looked into it some more.
As reader CatherineBaker wrote, "They say...
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The weather of this past week may cause West Nile virus problems from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.
First, let's start locally.
The hotter it gets the faster mosquitoes breed and the faster the virus replicates.
It reached 110 degrees Saturday, according to Weather.com. And while...
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A year ago today, news was breaking of Kern's first human case of West Nile virus of the year -- the first human case in the state.
Today, I'm working on a story about our first infected mosquito pool.
Positive mosquitoes often precede positive humans. Fingers crossed, maybe this year won't be...
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Will Kern County be ground zero for West Nile virus again this year? Are we doing anything to prepare?
Find out for yourself.
County directors from Public Health Services, Environmental Health Services and the Kern Mosquito and Vector Control District, among others, will talk about their West...
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Using common sense never hurt anybody.
Here are some tips from Canadian Living on how to avoid West Nile virus:
Fill any holes in the ground around your property with dirt. When it rains, mosquitoes breed in these damp, wet spaces.
Turn over any unused flowerpots in your garden. They...
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Testing done by a Chicago newspaper found trace amounts of the bug repellent DEET in the city's drinking water.
"In this age of West Nile virus, Lyme disease and other insect-borne health threats, millions of Americans have made slathering and spritzing themselves with the powerful...
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Dead, infected birds are usually a harbinger of the West Nile virus season.
I've had a couple of people call me with frustrations over the state's dead bird hot line, 877-WNV-BIRD (877-968-2473).
One woman last week told me an operator of the hot line said the state wasn't picking up birds yet....
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The fate of a controversial 788-home proposed development south of Panama Lane called Ten Section is still unresolved. The development was on the council agenda, but the applicant has asked for it to be put off.
The developer, Jim Manley, has been struggling to get buyoff from two key...
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With all the talk surrounding West Nile virus, it's easy to forget that our annoying needle-limbed bloodsucking friends can carry other diseases as well.
George Gilbert Lynch, a frequent citizen journalist for the Californian, sent me a link to a story he wrote last year about his bout of...
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I've heard a lot of West Nile virus misconceptions over the past couple of weeks. Hopefully this will help ease some worries and satiate inquiring minds.
Myth: West Nile virus only affects the young and elderly.
Answer: Busted.
The Kern County Department of Public Health held a press...
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Did you notice the plane depositing insecticide over Bakersfield last night?
The plane was scheduled to leave its runway in Shafter at about 8:10 p.m. and be overhead Bakersfield by 8:30 p.m. until about 1 a.m.
(Read "City gets sprayed for West Nile virus" in today's Californian.)...
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Kern County has become the epicenter for West Nile virus in the state.
Twenty two cases have been diagnosed so far, and that probably only represents a fraction of total cases considering most are asymptomatic.
One woman has died from the disease. (Read more ...)
But do residents feel a...
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