The Vector-Borne Disease Section of California’s Department of Health Services, in conjunction with the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California, recently has developed a statewide encephalitis virus risk assessment scheme to provide semi-quantitative guidelines for vector control personnel and public health officials during periods of varying disease risk. Quantitative risk categories are based on climatic factors, vector abundance, enzootic viral activity, human cases, and proximity of viral activity to populated areas. We used historical data to evaluate whether this plan would have elicited responses from appropriate agencies during years when: 1) little or no viral activity was detected by surveillance, 2) enzootic viral activity was detected but human cases did not occur, and 3) both enzootic viral activity and human cases occurred.
Species 1: Diptera Culicidae Culex tarsalis
Keywords: encephalitis, disease risk
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA