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Marking a Milestone While Chasing W. Nile Mosquito District to Hold Open House Celebrating Its 75th Anniversary

Posted on: Thursday, 23 March 2006, 09:01 CST

By Karen Holzmeister, STAFF WRITER

HAYWARD -- Despite 75 years of service and lots of recent publicity about the West Nile virus, the Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District is virtually unknown.

Its 14 full-time employees, plus a few seasonal workers, have been the first line of defense against the spread of mosquitoes and disease in unincorporated areas and all but one of the county's cities.

Now, as they prepare to control emerging mosquitoes, the employees are hosting an anniversary open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the district's newly remodeled office, at 23187 Connecticut St.

The event, which will have an opening program at 11 a.m., is open to the public.

Being small and low-key does not mean that the district is not busy with health and environmental safety work.

The district's Web site features 60 pages about the work it does, the materials it uses, and the decision-making that goes into the selection of those materials.

Right now, district General Manager John Rusmisel said, the emphasis is on watching the progress of West Nile virus.

"With all the late rains, we will have to work hard and fast to control the mosquitoes before they emerge," he said Tuesday. "Other mosquito-borne diseases, like dengue fever, and exotic mosquitoes like the Asian tiger mosquito have the potential to become established in our region."

Tours of the remodeled office Friday will give visitors a chance to see how those diseases and species are tracked.

The $2.5 million remodeling nearly doubled the size of the administration building from 3,848 square feet to 7,184 square feet. The new addition, Rusmisel explained, includes more laboratory space to test for West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne diseases.

Two new mosquito colony rooms have been installed with special temperature and humidity controls. Technicians also have more room to keep files on new sources.

Tours, refreshments and giveaways will be part of Friday's celebration of the district's 75th anniversary and expansion. For more information, call (510) 783-7744 or visit http:// www.mosquitoes.org.

Source: Oakland Tribune

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