News Briefs
February 12th, 2016
IN THIS ISSUE...

Jobs

Interested in a career in mosquito and vector control? Check out the MVCAC Job 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) should be submitted to the webmaster at kandosca@amgroup.us.

 

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
Mailing Address:
1 Capitol Mall
Suite 800
Sacramento, CA 95814

MVCAC 2016 Annual Conference

February 28th - March 2nd , 2016
Hyatt Regency Sacramento
1209 L Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

For the full schedule, click here

Note: T here will be a district manager group photo during the convention on Tuesday night right before the reception begins.

Click here for the MVCAC Conference SuperShuttle transportation discount code!

Click the "register" button below to register today!

Photos Needed For MVCAC 2016 Annual Conference Slideshow

The MVCAC Annual conference is quickly approaching and MVCAC needs your photos for the banquet slideshow!  

Last year, MVCAC member districts submitted pictures to make a rolling slide show that was shown during the beginning of the banquet. These pictures were of anything that they did through the year to showcase the district's activities.

Please submit photos in PowerPoint format and click here to add them to the Dropbox.

There is no limit to the number of photos you may submit. Thanks in advance.
Local mosquito control agencies will continue to employ protection and prevention methods to ensure lowest level of public health threat.

SACRAMENTO, FEBRUARY 8, 2016 - As Zika virus spreads through the Americas, it is important to understand the reality of California's exposure to the virus and the measures state and local vector control districts take to shield more than 38 million residents from this and other mosquito transmitted diseases.

Zika virus has federal, state, and local health agencies at an increased level of alertness as they inform U.S. residents about how the virus spreads and the risk of disease, areas where Zika virus is being transmitted, symptoms to look out for, and how to protect oneself from being bitten by mosquitoes.

New Members-Only Area on MVCAC.org
Dear MVCAC Member,
 
We have been working behind-the-scenes to try and remedy some issues with our current MVCAC website and the members-only content areas.  Although, the site will be getting an upgraded look and feel in the coming months, we wanted to make sure that members-only content was both easy for members to access and secure.
 
If you visit MVCAC.org and hover over the new login tab, you will see two login option s:
  1. MVCAC Website Login
  2. Member Services Portal
 
The MVCAC Website Login will require you to set up a user ID to access for the first time and will grant you access to all public and member-only content in one place.
To create a login for this area:
  1. Go to mvcac.org
  2. Click the login tab on the homepage menu bar.  This will bring you to the site login page: http://www.mvcac.org/site-login/
  3.  Scroll down to the "New User Registration" section of the page and fill out the requested information
  4. Once you have registered, MVCAC staff will need to verify your membership before granting access.  Please allow 1-2 business days for staff to process your request.
  5. Once your request is approved, the email you provided will be sent a temporary password allowing you to login.
  6. Copy and paste the password provided in that email into the MVCAC Website Login screen with the username you chose.
 
The Member Services Portal is the login area you are used to, this will continue to be used to register for events and pay dues online.  This will no longer be the area to access members-only content.
 
Of course, if you have any questions about the new login process feel free to contact MVCAC staff and we will be happy to assist you.
 
Thank you,
The MVCAC Staff
NPDES Notification for 2016
To assist MVCAC NPDES Coalition members in preparing the annual report to the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board), MVCAC is providing the Sacramento/Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control annual report to be used as a template. Districts need to submit four items to the State Water Board.  Your report does NOT need to be sent to your regional boards.  

The MVCAC NPDES Coalition 2015 annual report will be submitted to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) soon.

Each agency must submit the following:
  1. Cover Letter 
  2. Narrative Annual Report 
  3. Map of all treatments to WOTUS 
  4. Application Log of all applications to WOTUS 
Please submit your annual report to the SWRCB contacts below via email:
Please also bcc Rachel Hickerson: rhickerson@amgroup.us from AMG when you send your package to the SWRCB. 
 
The cover letter should still be addressed to Victoria Whitney. The Vector Control permit annual report is due March 1st

Also, make sure the entire following statement is included in your cover letter and signed by the appropriate person:

Per Attachment B, Section V.B.4 of the General Permit:
"I certify under penalty of law that this document and all attachments were prepared under my direction or supervision in accordance with a system designed to assure that qualified personnel properly gather and evaluate the information submitted. Based on my inquiry of the person or persons who manage the system or those persons directly responsible for gathering the information, the information submitted is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, true, accurate, and complete. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting false information, including the possibility of fine and imprisonment for knowing violations." (40 C.F.R. ยง 122.22(d).)


**Please note: you will need to have and/or create a new MVCAC members-only login to access this content.  Please see the instructions included in these News Briefs for more information.
2016 Sentinel Chicken Order Forms Available Now!
Please click here to download the 2016 Chicken Order Form.  

Chickens are being supplied by Haley Farms in Modesto for Northern California and by Demler Egg Ranch for Southern California.  

The form due dates and chicken pick-up dates are as follows:
Southern: Please return form by April 4, 2016
Southern Region: (Demler)
Pick-up date: May 4th, 2016 (8 a.m.) in San Jacinto
 
Northern: Please return form by March 21, 2016
Northern Region: (Haley's)
Pick-up date:  April 21st, 2016 (time TBD) in Modesto

Please fax, email, or mail order forms to:
MVCAC
1 Capitol Mall, Suite 800
Sacramento, CA 95814
P: 916-440-0826  F: 916-444-7462

MVCAC 2016 Legislative Day

April 6th, 2016
Residence Inn Sacramento
1121 15th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

Hotel Booking Information:
Start date: 4/5/16
End date: 4/6/16
Last day to book: 3/16/16
Group rate: $129.00 USD per night
 
More information to come, stay tuned!
Lyme Disease: CDC Discovers New Bacteria Species
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  have discovered a new species of bacteria, called "Borrelia mayonii ," that can cause Lyme disease in people, joining "Borrelia burgdorferi " as the only known causers of the sickness. The discovery was made in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic  and Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota health officials.

Infected Mosquitoes Enlisted to Stop Zika, Other Diseases
Zika in Latin America. Yellow fever in Africa. Dengue across the tropics. Three diseases on the rise. All three carried by one mosquito: Aedes aegypti.

Then why are schoolchildren raising and releasing these mosquitoes in Townsville, Australia, in a state that regularly suffers dengue outbreaks?

"To be honest, it sounded a little counter-productive," said Townsville science teacher Michael Browne.

NEJM: Zika Virus Associated with Microcephaly
A widespread epidemic of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection was reported in 2015 in South and Central America and the Caribbean. A major concern associated with this infection is the apparent increased incidence of microcephaly in fetuses born to mothers infected with ZIKV. In this report, we describe the case of an expectant mother who had a febrile illness with rash at the end of the first trimester of pregnancy while she was living in Brazil. Ultrasonography performed at 29 weeks of gestation revealed microcephaly with calcifications in the fetal brain and placenta. After the mother requested termination of the pregnancy, a fetal autopsy was performed. Micrencephaly (an abnormally small brain) was observed, with almost complete agyria, hydrocephalus, and multifocal dystrophic calcifications in the cortex and subcortical white matter, with associated cortical displacement and mild focal inflammation. ZIKV was found in the fetal brain tissue on reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) assay, with consistent findings on electron microscopy. The complete genome of ZIKV was recovered from the fetal brain.

Hawaii's Big Island declares emergency over dengue fever infections
The mayor of Hawaii's Big Island declared a state of emergency on Monday to deal with a growing outbreak of dengue fever, spread by infected mosquitoes, with 250 cases confirmed over the past four months.

As a result of Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi's order people on the Big Island will be allowed to resume disposing of old tires in landfills, since tires which are left lying around are a known breeding spot for mosquitoes.

There have been 250 confirmed cases of dengue fever on the island since Oct. 29, making it the largest outbreak in the state since the 1940s, according to the mayor's declaration and Hawaii health officials.