Experts warn Southern California rain could increase mosquito population
Experts said the recent storms across Southern California could lead to an unexpected problem — an increase in the mosquito populations.
The California Department of Public Health said increased rainfall has created more stagnant water, which is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, and with more water available due to the rain, the mosquito population is likely to grow.
"With leaf litter and other trash that flows into these systems, it tends to hold backwater. Because they are underground, they do maintain very comfortable temperatures for mosquito breeding — year round," said Steve Vetrone, the Director of Scientific Technical Services at Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District. "These are container breeders that we see in the average backyard."
Los Angeles County officials say that the thousands of miles of underground storm drains are a massive contributor to the population every year as it stands, but with the massive amount of rainfall that the region has seen, they expect the amount of insects to skyrocket.
Related: Invasive "ankle-biter" mosquitos plaguing Southern Californians
Vetrone notes that one of the biggest problems they see is with unmaintained swimming pools. With the recent rainfall, they've taken on a lot of new water and bacteria.
"If they're not drained or not treated, they can create a significant number of adult mosquitoes," he said. "Which creates a big problem for us when we're talking about public health risk in terms of West Nile Virus and encephalitis."
Mosquitoes can carry diseases such as West Nile virus, a potentially fatal disease that can cause fever, headache, and body aches. In severe cases, it can lead to meningitis or encephalitis, which can cause permanent neurological damage.
