First Ever Exotic Disease Carrying Mosquito Found In Shasta County

No mosquitoes are welcome in Shasta County, but a new invader is especially unwelcome. For the first time in the county, an aedes aegypti, commonly known as a “yellow fever mosquito”, was found on Friday in a neighborhood west of North Market Street and north of Lake Boulevard. The female specimen is the only one found. The species has been found elsewhere in California and is known to transmit diseases including chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever and zika, which are not transmitted by mosquitoes native to this area. They prefer to live near people and breed in small containers associated with homes. Residents need to patrol their yards for any containers with standing water, and also make sure rain gutters are dry. Shasta Mosquito and Vector Control will try to eliminate the new species through various means, including door-to-door inspections, low-volume spraying and live trapping. There’s more information at shastamosquito.org