The 94025 ZIP code area of Menlo Park will be fogged Monday night in an effort to wipe out any mosquitoes that may carry the West Nile virus.
The San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District is scheduled to begin the truck-mounted treatment at 9 p.m.
Triggering the action was the detection of two pools of adult mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus in that area, according to the district.
Nayer Zahiri, the district’s lab director, said Friday that a dead bird found in the area was tested and found to be infected by the virus. In response, the district on Aug. 6 placed 20 carbon dioxide mosquito traps overnight. The traps caught two pools of mosquitoes that tested positive.
As a result, the district decided to fog an area of Menlo Park bordered by Sand Hill Road to the south, Camino Al Lago to the north, University Drive on the east and Altschul Avenue to the west.
Zahiri said the treatment will occur in the night-time hours until 5 a.m. because mosquitoes are most active between 9 p.m. and midnight. If post-treatment samples of mosquitoes indicate West Nile virus, the district may repeat the process, she added.
While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not require residents to remain in their homes during the fogging, Zahiri said people who want to avoid it can close their windows.
According to the CDC, one out of five people infected with West Nile virus develop a fever, headaches, nausea, body ache or a rash, but 70 to 80 percent do not develop any symptoms. Fewer than 1 percent develop a serious neurological illnesses.
The first case of West Nile virus in California dates back to 2003, Zahiri said. Since then, its severity has ebbed and flowed.
Mosquitoes are common between the end of April and late September but are prevalent in San Mateo County and the rest of the Bay Area this year, she added.
Seven infected pools of mosquitoes and seven dead birds have been collected to date this year. Only one dead bird was found all of last year and not a single infected mosquito was detected. Statewide, more than 1,200 infected samples have already been collected this year, Zahiri noted.
As a precaution, people are encouraged to use insect repellents and eliminate all sources of standing water from their properties. Tight-fitting window and door screens also help to keep mosquitoes out.
For more information, call 650-344-8592 or visit www.smcmad.org.
Email Rhea Mahbubani at rmahbubani@dailynewsgroup.com or follow her at twitter.com/RMahbubani.
