Public health officials visited pools in Altadena Tuesday as the standing water at the abandoned or destroyed homes after the Eaton Fire could pose a major mosquito problem for the community and nearby neighborhoods.
As NBC Los Angeles joined technicians from the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District as they tried to stop mosquitoes from reproducing in the abandoned pools, they found mosquito larva already forming in some of the pools.
Mosquitoes need only five to six days in water to be able to go from an egg to a flying adult. That’s why officials are concerned about mosquito larva found in the area already.
Over 1,300 swimming pools were left behind after the Eaton Fire, the Vector Control District estimated. If all of the pools were used by mosquitoes for breeding, it could cause a serious public health issue as one pool can breed up to 3 million mosquitoes in one month.
There are another 1,200 pools outside the perimeter of the Eaton Fire.
“You’re looking at Altadena, Sierra Madre, Arcadia, all of those communities that have folks that are close to the perimeter of the burn area, that have people there,” Anais Medina Diaz from the district said.
As Vector Control officials try to stop mosquitoes from multiplying at the unused pools, they said the problem could spread farther as mosquitoes can travel up to a mile.
“Here in our area, we’re concerned about the West Nile virus because it is endemic. So we see it every year in mosquitoes, in bird populations, and in humans,” Diaz said.
Officials also warn mosquitoes can spread dengue as Southern California experienced local transmission of dengue in the past two years.
Technicians who sprayed pesticides into the pool said the treatment could be effective for three to six months in preventing mosquito breeding.
The San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District said it will continue treating the pools for several weeks ahead of hot temperatures expected in Southern California soon.
Source: NBC Los Angeles