Under administrative direction and supervision of the District Manager, and in a manner consistent with the District’s mission statement, the Information Technology (IT) Specialist is responsible for the coordination and development of the District’s computer and information systems, particularly working with the contractor developing the computerized MapVision database the District uses to track mosquito control work.
During April, laboratory staff shifted focus from collecting adult stage to nymphal stage Ixodes pacificus (western black-legged) ticks. Tick nymphs are more difficult to collect than adults because they don’t quest on vegetation along trails. Instead, they are found on tree stumps, downed longs, rocks, and in leaf litter.
Surveillance for West Nile virus began in California in mid-April. The District protects residents from this mosquito-borne disease with control methods that target mosquitoes in the larval stage, as well as mosquito population monitoring, disease surveillance and public education. The laboratory staff conducts disease surveillance in three main ways:
