Mosquito Prevention Is More Than A Summer Chore
HEALTH WATCH - When we plan a walk with the dog, a park picnic or a beach gathering, we often remember water and sunscreen. Preventing mosquito bites deserves a place in those preparations, too.
California’s October 30, 2026, surveillance bulletin reported 502 human cases of West Nile virus disease across 24 counties, including 31 deaths. Those losses are a reminder that mosquito prevention protects more than a comfortable evening outdoors. Transmission is most common in summer and early fall, but mosquitoes remain active year-round in California. Local conditions, not a change on the calendar alone, should guide our precautions.
Public health departments, mosquito-control districts, laboratory teams and animal-health agencies deserve our thanks. California already coordinates human and animal surveillance, mosquito testing and control, and public education. Residents who report mosquito problems contribute to that protection.
As a physician and public health researcher, I would strengthen this work by bringing prevention closer to everyday life. The goal is not to discourage outdoor activities. It is to make protection practical, including for neighbors who need help following the advice.
Enjoy the outdoors with protection in mind
Before a park visit, beach outing or outdoor party, check local mosquito advisories. Pack an EPA-registered repellent, such as one containing DEET or picaridin, and use it as directed. Wear loose-fitting long sleeves and trousers when practical. Take particular care from dusk to dawn, when mosquitoes that spread West Nile virus are most active.
Apply sunscreen first and repellent second. Swimming and sweating can affect protection, so follow the repellent’s reapplication instructions rather than assuming one application lasts all day. Follow age restrictions, keep repellent away from children’s hands, eyes and mouths, and use mosquito netting over strollers or baby carriers.
Hosts could include a brief prevention reminder in invitations and make labeled repellent available to adults. Apply sprays away from food, and follow warnings about flames near barbecues or fire pits. Before gatherings, check for water collecting in containers; afterward, empty and store them so they cannot collect more.
Parks staff and venue managers should continue to relentlessly address drainage and maintenance concerns with local mosquito-control professionals. Guests should report problems, not apply pesticides to public spaces themselves.
Include animals and the spaces around them
Dogs and cats can become infected, although illness is rare. Ordinary contact with pets is not how people acquire West Nile. Ask a veterinarian about suitable protection; do not put a human insect repellent on an animal unless its label specifically permits that use. Horses can become seriously ill, and vaccination is available. Owners should review vaccination and mosquito precautions with their veterinarian.
At home, inspect water-holding containers weekly and empty and scrub them as appropriate. Check buckets, flowerpot saucers and unused outdoor toys. Keep pet bowls clean and replenish fresh drinking water; prevention should never mean depriving animals of water. Repair window screens. Ask the local mosquito-control agency about neglected pools or standing water that cannot safely be removed.
Dead-bird reports also help California track the virus. Use the state’s reporting service and follow its handling instructions rather than collecting birds yourself.
Bring the message closer to home
Community organizations, including churches, mosques, temples and other faith groups, could partner with health departments and mosquito-control districts to hold periodic, practical seminars. A short session alongside an existing gathering could reach people who would not attend a separate health event.
These should be conversations, not another sermon. Demonstrate how to read a repellent label, identify water-holding containers and request assistance. Invite questions from parents, pet owners and outdoor workers. Repeat sessions before mosquito season and when local alerts warrant them, with translated materials and a telephone contact.
Imagine an older resident who cannot safely clear a yard, or a renter waiting for a damaged screen to be repaired. Another family may need help paying for repellent. An information leaflet alone does not solve those problems. I would ask every outreach partnership to offer a route from advice to practical assistance.
Then connect the message with help. With residents’ permission, volunteers could assist an older neighbor with simple container cleanup or arrange a screen repair. Property owners should address maintenance on premises they manage. Donors could fund registered repellents, replacement screens and outreach through community organizations, while mosquito-control professionals handle specialist work. Donations should be suitable, clearly labeled products accompanied by instructions, not unverified homemade alternatives.
Being our neighbor’s keeper means noticing when someone cannot act on advice and helping without judgment. It does not mean entering property without permission or blaming residents for conditions beyond their control.
These partnerships should complement, not replace, public services. Agencies need dependable funding, and community organizations need training and practical support. Success should be measured by problems resolved and help reaching residents, not simply by seminar attendance.
Take illness seriously, without fearing every bite
About 80% of people infected with West Nile virus have no symptoms, and fewer than 1% develop severe disease involving the brain or spinal cord. Older adults and people with certain medical conditions or weakened immunity face greater risk.
Severe illness can include meningitis, inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord; encephalitis, inflammation of the brain; or spinal cord inflammation that causes weakness or paralysis. Breathing muscles can be affected, sometimes requiring a ventilator. About one in 10 people who develop severe nervous-system disease die—not one in 10 of everyone infected.
Survivors may face prolonged fatigue, weakness, difficulties with memory or thinking, or reduced ability to manage daily activities. Some effects can be permanent. There is no approved human vaccine or specific antiviral treatment; as such care is supportive/palliative focusing on symptoms and complications. That makes mosquito control and bite prevention especially important.
Fever, headache or body aches after mosquito exposure deserve discussion with a clinician. Seek immediate medical attention for high fever, neck stiffness, confusion or new muscle weakness. A bite alone does not mean infection; clinicians should guide testing according to symptoms and exposure.
Health plans, clinicians and community partners should help patients obtain appropriate follow-up and rehabilitation, while supporting caregivers. Our concern should not end when a case leaves the headlines.
California already has a foundation to build on. Let us support the people doing this work and make prevention easier in the places where we live, worship, celebrate and care for animals.
A repaired screen, a practical conversation or help for a neighbor may seem small. Together, those actions can turn shared responsibility into shared protection.
(Taiwo Opeyemi Aremu, MD, MPH, MS, PhD, is a physician, public health expert, health economics and outcomes researcher, and assistant professor at Touro University California. The views expressed are his own.)
