As mosquitoes go year-round in L.A., a promising fix hits a snag
Los Angeles Times • • health
Key Points:
- Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which spread dengue fever, have unusually persisted through winter in Los Angeles County, increasing concerns amid a recent surge in cases.
- The Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District is preparing to release sterilized male mosquitoes for a third year in Sunland-Tujunga, aiming to reduce the female population by preventing viable offspring.
- Despite promising results showing over an 80% reduction in female mosquitoes in treated neighborhoods, efforts to expand the program face financial hurdles as business owners have opposed a proposed fee increase to fund it.
- The sterile insect technique involves breeding mosquitoes in a Pacoima insectary, sterilizing males with X-rays, and releasing them to mate with wild females, thereby reducing future mosquito populations without
