Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Coachella Valley Mosquito & Vector Control invites Indio council to tour, warns of dengue and West Nile activity
Summary
Representatives from the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District briefed council on mosquito-borne disease risks, invited council members to an open house during Mosquito Awareness Week and asked for collaboration on public outreach in Indio.
Representatives of the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District briefed the Indio City Council on mosquito-borne disease risks and invited council members to tour the district and attend an open house during Mosquito Awareness Week.
Megan Scarborough Echol, clerk of the board for the district, introduced the presentation and said the district wants to collaborate with the city on public outreach and education. Public Information Manager Robert Gaona told the council that California recorded its first locally acquired case of dengue in 2023 and 18 locally acquired cases in 2024; he said there were no locally acquired dengue cases in the Coachella Valley or Riverside County at the time of his remarks but that Aedes mosquitoes — a primary dengue vector — have been present in the valley since about 2016 and thrive in urban and peri‑domestic settings.
Gaona also reviewed annual West Nile virus activity and local control work. He said the district detected 42 West Nile–positive mosquito samples in Indio in 2024 out of about 56,000 adult mosquito samples collected. He said the district conducted roughly 7,700 inspections and 6,400 treatments in Indio in 2024 and reminded the council that West Nile virus transmission typically peaks from March through August.
The district invited council members to an open house planned during Mosquito Awareness Week (staff noted April 14–19 as the statewide awareness window and said the district’s open house would be on a Tuesday during that week). The presenters offered to provide outreach materials and to schedule tours for council members and staff.
Quotations "I'm the clerk of the board at the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District ... I'm here this afternoon to invite those on council who have not visited our district for a tour and presentation," Megan Scarborough Echol said.
Ending District staff said they will follow up with the city on scheduling and outreach materials and asked the council to refer residents to the district for information on mosquito prevention and seasonal services.
