Board accepts Mohave County Environmental Health mosquito surveillance program after presentation on West Nile and other vectors
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Summary
Environmental Health presented a mosquito surveillance and mitigation overview covering species, trapping, West Nile testing and control strategies; the Board voted to accept the program details and to prioritize larvicide and surveillance amid funding changes that may reduce fogging capacity.
Mohave County Environmental Health staff presented an overview of the county’s mosquito surveillance and mitigation activities and the Board of Health voted to accept the program details.
The presenter (identified in the record as an Environmental Health staff member) reviewed local surveillance from 2017–2023: nearly 2,000 traps were set and about 3.8 million mosquitoes were collected. The county identified nine mosquito species locally, including three Culex species (vectors of West Nile virus), Aedes aegypti (vector for dengue, Zika and chikungunya) and Culiseta columbiae, which the presenter said represented about 97 percent of captures in Mohave Valley and is a persistent nuisance species but is not known to transmit human disease.
Environmental Health staff described testing procedures: female Culex pools are tested for West Nile virus in the county lab and other species are sent to the state laboratory. Between 2017 and 2023, the presenter said about 824 Culex pools were tested with 20 positives for West Nile, and that eight probable or confirmed West Nile cases had been assessed in the county during that period.
The presentation covered life cycles and vector behavior, the public‑health implications of West Nile, and mitigation methods. Staff described larvicide (source reduction) as more effective but costlier and requiring certified applicators, whereas adulticide (fogging) provides immediate knockdown with limited duration and reach. The presenter said the county planned to prioritize larval control and surveillance and to continue public education and stakeholder collaboration.
Bullhead City municipal entomologist Dr. Michael Caballero addressed the board in support of the county program and urged continued trapping, education and tribal engagement. Board members asked whether the county would continue trapping and testing if a $25,000 general‑fund transfer to the local abatement program were suspended; county staff said larviciding and surveillance would be prioritized and that fogging (adulticide) might be reduced if contingency funding was used in the short term. Staff also clarified that "pool testing" in the presentation referred to pooled samples of trapped mosquitoes rather than swimming‑pool water sampling, and described the county’s practice of responding to vacant green‑pool complaints by applying mosquito dunks and larval control when properties are unmaintained.
Supervisor Gold called for a motion; the board voted to accept the details of the Mohave County Department of Public Health Environmental Health Division Mosquito Surveillance Program. The presentation and vote were recorded as part of the board’s regular business.
