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. At this time, we still have adequate meeting space for approximately 40 additional attendees.  

Hotel rooms with discounted rates are available at Hyatt Place UC Davis in Davis, CA. Hyatt Place is on the UC Davis campus and a 21-min walk to the meeting site.

Hyatt Place UC Davis is located 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!

1.  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. 
2. Visit Google Maps for walking directions and location of the hotel and visit here for hotel location and transportation Information.

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. 

Click for Draft Agenda

Please send questions anytime to questions@pacvec.us or to coordinator Celia Chen at celchen@ucdavis.edu.

In response to the conversation during the MVCAC IT Committee at Spring Meeting, please see follow up information:

Bulletin 1: Free Government Vulnerability Assessments

Overview of Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency's (CISA from DHS) Vulnerability Scanning (VS) service offerings: https://www.cisa.gov/topics/cyber-threats-and-advisories/cyber-hygiene-services

Background Info: CISA’s VS is a persistent "internet scanning-as-a-service" that continuously assesses the health of your internet-accessible assets by checking for known vulnerabilities, weak configurations or configuration errors, and sub-optimal security practices. The service also recommends ways to enhance security through modern web and email standards.

How to sign up?

Bulletin 2: Microsoft Outlook Exploit

What exactly is the critical security flaw? This flaw allows hackers to remotely infiltrate an un-patched workstation just by receiving an email. (referred to as a zero-day attack). Administrators should prioritize patching CVE-2023-23397 and use Microsoft's script to check for signs of exploitation. (Link provided) It's critical to implement the patch on all of our District systems.

The patch can be obtained within the Outlook program by following the steps outlined in this guide:

Bulletin 3: Follow NIST

While there's importance to patch systems and enroll in special vulnerability programs--it'd be a good to reiterate that all members should follow the best cybersecurity policies recommended by NIST. You can find these policies in an easy-to-understand format by visiting the following link: https://www.nist.gov/cyberframework

Bulletin 4: Join MISAC for the latest Cybersecurity Notices

In addition to following and implementing NIST guidance, it's advised to join the Municipal Information Systems Association of California (MISAC) as an individual special district of California. MISAC provides tremendous benefits to their membership, one of which being expediant communication on all current cybersecurity threats that should be addressed by a Systems Administrator or a Managed Services consultant. Details can be found here: https://www.misac.org/general/register_member_type.asp



We believe that this information is crucial for all members to protect their agency and assets from potential cyber attacks. Anybody could fall victim to threats these days. Our aim as a committee is to convey the best information and guidance to hopefully help other Districts know about critical vulnerabilities before it is too late. 

The West Nile Virus and Dead Bird Call Center will open to live calls beginning Monday, April 10. Hours of operation will be 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday-Friday until mid-October. The public may report dead birds by calling 1-WNV-BIRD (1-877-968-2473), or by filling out an online report at westnile.ca.gov. Local agencies may speak with call center staff directly by calling the agency line: 510-412-4601, or by email at arbovirus@cdph.ca.gov.