Public health officials visited the presence of abandoned homes or standing water on Tuesday as the Eton fire could cause major mosquito problems in the community and nearby areas.
NBC Los Angeles joined San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District technicians to discover that mosquito larvae had already formed in the pool as they tried to stop mosquito breeding in abandoned pools.
Mosquitoes only need 5-6 days in water so that they can go to adults flying from eggs. As such, authorities are already concerned about mosquito larvae found in the area.
More than 1,300 swimming pools were left after the Eton fire, Vector Control District estimated. If all pools are used by mosquitoes for breeding, they can breed up to 3 million mosquitoes in a month, which can cause serious public health issues.
Outside the boundary of the Etonfire, there are another 1,200 pools.
“You see all the communities where people are close to Altadena, Sierra Madre, Arcadia and the burned area.
He said that if Vector Management Officers try to stop mosquitoes from growing in unused pools, the problem could be further widened as mosquitoes can travel up to a mile.
“In our area, we are concerned that the West Nile virus is endemic, so we see it every year in mosquitoes, bird populations and humans,” Diaz said.
Officials also warn that mosquitoes can spread dengue as Southern California has experienced local infections in the past two years.
Technicians spraying pesticides into the pool said that 3-6 months of treatment was effective in preventing mosquito breeding.
The San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District said it will continue to process the pool for weeks, more than the expected hot temperatures in Southern California.
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