News Briefs | February 8, 2023 | |
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In Memory of Mir S. Mulla, PhD, Professor Emeritus UC Riverside
Dr. Mir S. Mulla, born February 25, 1925, passed away at his home on January 29, 2023 just 17 days before his 98th birthday. Mir was born eldest to a family of 14 siblings in Afghanistan. He moved to the U.S. on a scholarship to Cornell University where he completed his undergraduate degree in Entomology and Parasitology (obituary at UCR page). He received his doctorate in entomology from University of California Berkeley in 1956 working on the biology of leafhoppers infecting prune orchards in Santa Clara County. His research took place in Campbell, CA where Hewlett Packard and Intel are now located. A medical doctor bought the land for investment. Mir asked him to not sell the land before he could complete his research. Mir finished his research, qualifying exam, French and German languages, and dissertation in three years.
Read more
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Chickens are being supplied by a new farm in Modesto for Northern California and Southern California this year.
Click here to download the order form
Via email or fax to 916-444-7462
Please return order form by April 7, 2023.
Northern and Southern Region
Pick-up date: April 27, 2023 (7 a.m.- 9 a.m.) in Modesto
The address is 3707 Hammett Rd, Modesto, CA 95358
If you have any questions, please email or call R’Mani White in Membership at rwhite@amgroup.us or (916) 440-0826 ext. 125
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MVCAC Legislative Conference & Spring Committee Meetings
March 20 – 22, 2022
Sacramento, CA
March 20th
- 3:00 to 5:00 PM – Legislative Training
March 21st
- 8:00 to 3:00 PM – Legislative Visits
- 3:00 to 6:00 PM – Committee Meetings Begin
March 22nd
- 8:00 AM to 5:45 PM – Committee Meetings
Draft Agenda is available now behind the member login here.
Hotel Booking Information:
Phone: (916) 446-0100 Block code is MVC
Online: 2023 MVCAC Leg Day and Spring Meeting
Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown Arena
300 J St
Sacramento, CA 95814
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Registration NOW OPEN: PacVec Annual Meeting 2023!
MVCAC member districts are invited to the 6th Annual Meeting of the Pacific Southwest Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases (PacVec) to be held April 6-7, 2023. The meeting will be an in-person event at the International Center on the campus of the University of California in Davis, California. Please mark your calendars and register for the meeting!
Registration: https://ucdavis.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5AXAtjSTfLK5ZK6.
Please fill out the registration form above for each individual who will attend so that we will have a head count and contact information for everyone as the meeting approaches. Due to limitations on meeting space, please limit initial registrations to two attendees per agency. We will update this information closer to the meeting date if space allows.
Hotel rooms with discounted rates are available at both Hyatt Place UC Davis and Aggie Inn in Davis, CA. If needed, please book your hotel rooms at your earliest convenience (details below).
PacVec is supported by CDC and serves the southwestern U.S., Hawaii, and the US-affiliated Pacific Islands. Our goal is to improve the capacity of our region to respond to threats from vector-borne diseases through a combination of research, training, and collaboration. The PacVec annual meeting will include presentations on research progress and plans, current issues in vector-borne diseases in our region, and updates on training and engagement with our community of practice.
Please send questions anytime to questions@pacvec.us or to coordinator Celia Chen at celchen@ucdavis.edu.
Hotel Accommodations (be sure to book early):
Rooms with discounted rates are available at two hotels here in Davis. Below are the booking links along with brief descriptions of the hotel facilities. Both are excellent accommodations - Aggie Inn is downtown and a 16 min walk from the meeting site, and the Hyatt Place is on the UC Davis campus and a 21 min walk to the meeting site. If you want a specific hotel, note that each block of rooms is limited, and booking early is highly recommended.
Aggie Inn is in Downtown Davis and conveniently located close to UC Davis. From a one-of-a-kind, cottage-style hotel, you can explore all that the area has to offer. The room blocks and discounted rates will expire on March 4, 2023.
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Make reservations here or call the hotel directly and make a reservation at (530)-756-0352 using the group name: PacVec Annual Meeting 2023 and group number: GB49F1.
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Visit Google Maps for walking directions and location of the hotel.
Hyatt Place UC Davis is located on the UC Davis campus, next to the Mondavi Center, Manetti Shrem Museum and within walking distance to many campus facilities and Downtown Davis. Enjoy free breakfast by making reservations using the link provided below. Rooms are first-come, first-served (no specific expiration), so booking early is highly recommended!
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Make reservations here. Click on the “Book Now” button, enter your arrival and departure dates, and click the “Book Now” button again. Corporate or Group Code should autogenerate, but if not, please enter 31653 as the group code.
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Visit Google Maps for walking directions and location of the hotel and visit here for hotel location and transportation Information.
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PacVec Training Grants – Proposals Due March 30!
The annual call for proposals for the PacVec training grant program is now open. Proposals are invited for training grants that are consistent with the PacVec mission and should address themes relevant for public-health policy. This year’s PacVec training grant program offers two different award types:
- Curricular Enhancement in Public-Health Entomology
- Mentored Research for Students and Postdoctoral Scholars
The application deadline is Thursday, March 30, 2023 by 11:59 pm PDT. Please visit the training grant website for details on eligibility, application requirements, and more. These grants are an excellent opportunity for collaboration between mosquito control or public health agencies and academic researchers at any college or university within our region. Interested agencies are encouraged to reach out to potential collaborators to discuss ideas for possible projects.
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Summer Internship Program – Applications Due February 24!
PacVec is excited to announce the call for proposals for the new summer internship program. Proposals are invited for summer internship opportunities that are consistent with the CoE mission and should address themes relevant for public-health policy. Proposals must involve undergraduate summer internships that offer opportunities for practical training and experience in public-health entomology or related fields. Typically, undergraduate interns gain experience through summer work with a partner mosquito/vector control or public health agency, followed by mentored on-campus experience in laboratory methods, data analysis and scientific writing. Ideally, internships will culminate in networking opportunities and a presentation of results at a state or regional vector control or public health meeting such as the annual MVCAC conference.
The application deadline is Friday, February 24, 2023 by 11:59 pm PST. Please visit the internship program website for details on eligibility, application requirements, and more. MVCAC members who have ideas for internships are welcome to reach out ASAP to potential faculty mentor(s) at any of our seven PacVec universities (https://pacvec.us/meet-our-team/). Once internship opportunities are identified, mentors will be expected to help with development of project proposals and recruitment of interns from their university.
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Share Your Post COVID-19 Exposure Methods With Us |
MVCAC is looking for member districts to share with us their post COVID exposure methods and logistics. Please email the methods you have in place to mvcac@mvcac.org and we will add them to the COVID-19 page on the MVCAC website.
Thank you!
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MVCAC Member Resources Re: COVID-19 |
MVCAC will be assembling and posting some information and templates of what some Districts have created and shared as they manage their operations. Items like sample document for field staff to carry in addition to their ID to validate status/purpose and actions related to seasonal hires. It will be posted as it becomes available to a new members-only page on the MVCAC website.
Click the button below to login and view.
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Grandmother Mosquito: A new education tool for OCMVCD
Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District (OCMVCD/District) considers education an essential function of vector control. The challenge is in making a lasting impression. The District values all the interactions and educational opportunities with the public, both online and in-person. The challenge is how to keep mosquito control in people’s minds, beyond a fleeting interaction.
The idea of a children’s book seemed perfect for keeping mosquito control in people’s working memory. Children love books and for many families, shared reading is a nightly ritual. A typical habit of many children is to reread books over and over. As children hear stories, they internalize the message of the story. Parents who read with their child also learn as they read.
| Submit your district for the next Spotlight On |
Does your agency have a success story, a staff member you would like to publicly recognize, or an innovation by your agency that you would like to highlight? "Spotlight On" on the MVCAC website is one way to share your story! Each submission which meets the specified criteria will be reviewed and posted on the MVCAC website on the Spotlight On page and highlighted on the homepage in the rotating feature box. Each story will remain posted for 1-2 months before being moved to a publicly archived page.
Interested? Click here to fill out an application!
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HR resources for districts to use and to upload information into |
District Managers - Please upload your HR resources and information into this Google Drive along with using it for your own district.
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Semi-field and surveillance data define the natural diapause timeline for Culex pipiens across the United States | |
Posted by Vector and Vector-borne Disease Committee
February 8, 2023
Field, E.N., Shepard, J.J., Clifton, M.E. et al. Semi-field and surveillance data define the natural diapause timeline for Culex pipiens across the United States. Commun Biol 5, 1300 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-022-04276-x
Abstract:
Reproductive diapause serves as biological mechanism for many insects, including the mosquito Culex pipiens, to overwinter in temperate climates. While Cx. pipiens diapause has been well-studied in the laboratory, the timing and environmental signals that promote diapause under natural conditions are less understood. In this study, we examine laboratory, semi-field, and mosquito surveillance data to define the approximate timeline and seasonal conditions that contribute to Cx. pipiens diapause across the United States. While confirming integral roles of temperature and photoperiod in diapause induction, we also demonstrate the influence of latitude, elevation, and mosquito population genetics in shaping Cx. pipiens diapause incidence across the country. Coinciding with the cessation of WNV activity, these data can have important implications for mosquito control, where targeted efforts prior to diapause induction can decrease mosquito populations and WNV overwintering to reduce mosquito-borne disease incidence the following season.
Note: This article highlights the importance of the roles of both short day lengths as well as temperature in inducing diapause in Culex pipiens. Comparisons were also made between the diapause timelines of Cx. pipiens in different geographical locations throughout the US and the influence of contributing variables such as latitude, elevation, and population genetics.
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Diel activity patterns of vector mosquito species in the urban environment: Implications for vector control strategies | |
Posted by Vector and Vector-borne Disease Committee
February 8, 2023
Wilke ABB, Mhlanga A, Kummer AG, Vasquez C, Moreno M, Petrie WD, et al. (2023) PLoS Negl Trop Dis 17(1): e0011074. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0011074
Abstract:
Mathematical models have been widely used to study vector mosquitoes as well as to test the effectiveness of arbovirus outbreak response and mosquito control strategies. However, due to the lack of empirical data, there are no studies focusing on the effectiveness of adulticide applications at different hours of the day to control different mosquito populations. This study leveraged a unique dataset in which approximately 25,000 mosquitoes comprising 19 species were collected hourly in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and Brownsville, Texas. We then developed a mathematical model to simulate the population dynamics of five mosquito vector species to evaluate the effectiveness of adulticide spraying at different times of the day and at different frequencies. Mosquito community composition and abundance varied significantly throughout the day in both Brownsville and Miami-Dade County with more than 10-fold differences during the day. Depending on the target vector species, the application of adulticides at a given hour of the day may lead to drastically different results, although we found some common patterns such as the remarkable effectiveness of interventions performed at 9 PM.
Note: In this open access publication, the authors showed the activity of different urban mosquito species in a 24-hour period and used mathematical models to determine the best time for conducting adulticide applications for each species. The authors noted an overlap in activity between invasive Aedes spp. and Culex spp. at 9 PM, suggesting this as the most effective time for adulticide treatments targeting both invasive Aedes spp. and WNV vectors.
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MVCAC News Briefs - Zika Updates |
Please note: The items contained below are not the views or opinions of MVCAC but they are what is being reported in the media. The goal of MVCAC providing this information is to keep MVCAC members informed of all news articles that are being presented regarding Zika.
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MVCAC News Briefs - Other Outbreaks | |
Please note: The items contained below are not the views or opinions of MVCAC but they are what is being reported in the media. The goal of MVCAC providing this information is to keep MVCAC members informed of all news articles that are being presented regarding other outbreaks.
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Do you have important news to share about your district or mosquito and vector issues? |
If you would like your news to be included in the MVCAC News Briefs, please send press releases and/or links to relevant news articles to mvcac@mvcac.org
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Interested in a career in mosquito and vector control? Check out the MVCAC Jobs Board at www.mvcac.org
Have a Job or RFP to post to MVCAC.org?
Requests to post job listings (no more than 500 words in length) may be submitted by MVCAC members via this web form (Note: you will need to login to access this form). Non-Members are asked to submit listings to the webmaster at mvcac@mvcac.org.
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MVCAC Sustaining Member Corner |
Note: MVCAC does not endorse the products below, but we do support our Sustaining Members
Central Life Sciences has announced the release of Aqua Zenivex™ E20, a reduced-risk adulticide for mosquito control professionals.
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