News Briefs | July 13, 2022
MVCAC 91st Annual Conference
Call for Papers and Presentations
The Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California (MVCAC) will hold its 91st Annual Conference January 29-February 1, 2023 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, CA. This year’s conference will focus on “Innovative Control Technologies for the Future”. With this in mind, we hope you will consider submitting a paper that will be considered for presentation at the conference.

Presentations should be related to mosquitoes or other vectors, the disease organisms they transmit, or their surveillance and control. Presentations may be about research results, the development and testing of new methods, equipment or products, education, community outreach and the adaptation or development of new technology relating to vector research, surveillance or control, or the administration of a vector control agency.
If you are interested in presenting a paper, please complete the attached “Request to Present a Paper” form. An extended abstract is REQUIRED for all presentations and posters. Abstracts may be made available to participants before or at the conference and will appear in the Proceedings and Papers of MVCAC. After the conference, presenters will be asked to replace their abstract with a paper for publication in the Proceedings. 
With limited time for presentations, final scheduled oral presentations will be at the discretion of the Program Committee. 

Presenters will be notified by October 28, 2022 if they are accepted as a speaker and be given the time allotted for their presentation. 

All presenters must register for the conference and are responsible for registration and arranging their own travel. 

Deadline for submission of the completed “Request to Present a Paper” form is Monday, October 3, 2022. Requests received after the deadline may not be accepted.


Click here to view the draft conference agenda
Upcoming Events
MVCAC Summer Meeting
July 28th | 9am - 12pm
Via Zoom
 
Agenda packet and zoom links are available behind the member login here.
Save the Date!
MVCAC Fall Meeting
November 1-3 (meeting 11/2-11/3)
Visalia Marriott
 
More information to come!
Save the Date!
MVCAC Planning Meeting
December 5-7 (meeting 12/6-12/7)
Oakland Waterfront Hotel
 
More information to come!
Save the Date!
91st Annual MVCAC Conference
Sunday, January 29 – Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim
Click here to view the draft agenda
 
More information to come!
PR Committee Education and Outreach Materials
Google Drive
The PR committee has created a google drive to house all of the education and outreach materials in one place and make them accessible for MVCAC members. Please check it out as it includes several photos/images, factsheets, and videos. If there are photos or materials that you would like to add to the drive to share with other districts please reach out to Lisa Yarbrough (lyarbrough@ka-pow.com) or Nola Woods (nwoods@contracostamosquito.com).
The role of cofeeding arthropods in the transmission of Rickettsia felis
Posted by Vector and Vector-borne Disease Committee
July 2, 2022

Authors: Chanida Fongsaran, Krit Jirakanwisal, Natthida Tongluan, Allison Latour, Sean Healy, Rebecca C. Christofferson, Kevin R. Macaluso

Affiliation: Vector-Borne Disease Laboratories, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, United States of America

Open access: PLoS Negl Trop Dis 16(6): e0010576. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010576

A volatile from the skin microbiota of flavivirus-infected hosts promotes mosquito attractiveness
Posted by Vector and Vector-borne Disease Committee
July 3, 2022

Cell 2022 [in press].

Zhang H., Zhu YB, Lui ZW, Peng YM, Peng WY, Tong LQ, Wang JL, Lui QY, Wang PH, Cheng G.

School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, China.

From a summary by Kate Baggaley. Popular Science. https://www.popsci.com/health/mosquito-virus-smell-sweeter/

No Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 Among Flies or Cockroaches in Households Where COVID-19 Positive Cases Resided
Posted by Vector and Vector-borne Disease Committee
July 13, 2022

Christopher M Roundy, Sarah A Hamer, Italo B Zecca, Edward B Davila, Lisa D Auckland, Wendy Tang, Haley Gavranovic, Sonja L Swiger, Jeffery K Tomberlin, Rebecca S B Fischer, Alex Pauvolid-Correa, Gabriel Hamer. 

Texas A&M University and AgriLife Research, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Journal of Medical Entomology, 30 May 2022, tjac055, https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjac055

Meritorious Service Award, Honorary Member Award and Service with Distinction Award Nominations Now Open
It's Nomination time! Nominations are now open for MVCAC's Meritorious Service Award, Honorary Member Award and the Service with Distinction Award. All nominations must be received in the MVCAC office by September 12th so they may be included on the ballot to all the member districts, or adequate ad hoc committees may be appointed (for Service with Distinction).
 
Award Criteria:
  • Honorary Membership- for any person who has rendered exceptional, distinguished service in the interest of mosquito or vector control in the state of California
  • Meritorious Service- for any member or nonmember who have made special and significant contributions to the field of mosquito control in the State of California or elsewhere
  • Service with Distinction- may be conferred on those who have made a significant contribution to fulfilling the mission of the Association. They must meet the following criteria: Made exceptional professional or voluntary service in support of the advancement and continued excellence of the Association; have earned national or international distinction for their services in the subject of mosquito and vector control; have made a significant contribution to any local community within the jurisdiction of their agency and focused on mosquito and vector control.

Honorary and Meritorious Service requires 5 letters from district managers in support of their nomination.
Service with Distinction nominations can come from any MVCAC member
 
For all award nominations, a list of the individuals qualifying accomplishments and achievements must also be received with the nomination letter.
 
Please submit nominations via email to mvcac@mvcac.org or fax at 916-444-7462 attn: Award Nominations. Ballots for Honorary and Meritorious Service will be sent out after September 14th, with a due date before the Fall meeting in November.
 
Please do not hesitate to contact the MVCAC office if you have any questions!
Share Your Post COVID-19 Exposure Methods With Us
MVCAC is looking for member districts to share with us their post COVID exposure methods and logistics. Please email the methods you have in place to mvcac@mvcac.org and we will add them to the COVID-19 page on the MVCAC website.

Thank you!
MVCAC Member Resources Re: COVID-19
MVCAC will be assembling and posting some information and templates of what some Districts have created and shared as they manage their operations. Items like sample document for field staff to carry in addition to their ID to validate status/purpose and actions related to seasonal hires. It will be posted as it becomes available to a new members-only page on the MVCAC website.

Click the button below to login and view.
Grandmother Mosquito: A new education tool for OCMVCD

Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District (OCMVCD/District) considers education an essential function of vector control. The challenge is in making a lasting impression. The District values all the interactions and educational opportunities with the public, both online and in-person. The challenge is how to keep mosquito control in people’s minds, beyond a fleeting interaction.

The idea of a children’s book seemed perfect for keeping mosquito control in people’s working memory. Children love books and for many families, shared reading is a nightly ritual. A typical habit of many children is to reread books over and over. As children hear stories, they internalize the message of the story. Parents who read with their child also learn as they read.
Submit your district for the next Spotlight On
Does your agency have a success story, a staff member you would like to publicly recognize, or an innovation by your agency that you would like to highlight? "Spotlight On" on the MVCAC website is one way to share your story! Each submission which meets the specified criteria will be reviewed and posted on the MVCAC website on the Spotlight On page and highlighted on the homepage in the rotating feature box. Each story will remain posted for 1-2 months before being moved to a publicly archived page. 

Interested? Click here to fill out an application!

Applications can be submitted to the MVCAC office at mvcac@mvcac.org
HR resources for districts to use and to upload information into
District Managers - Please upload your HR resources and information into this Google Drive along with using it for your own district.

Click here to access the Google Drive.
News Headlines
MVCAC News Briefs - Zika Updates
Please note: The items contained below are not the views or opinions of MVCAC but they are what is being reported in the media. The goal of MVCAC providing this information is to keep MVCAC members informed of all news articles that are being presented regarding Zika.



MVCAC News Briefs - Other Outbreaks
Please note: The items contained below are not the views or opinions of MVCAC but they are what is being reported in the media. The goal of MVCAC providing this information is to keep MVCAC members informed of all news articles that are being presented regarding other outbreaks.

July 13, 2022: West Nile virus discovered in Solano County - The Mercury News


July 11, 2022: West Nile virus found in Santa Clara County - The Daily Journal


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
MVCAC Jobs Board
Interested in a career in mosquito and vector control? Check out the MVCAC Jobs 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) may be submitted by MVCAC members via this web form (Note: you will need to login to access this form). Non-Members are asked to submit listings to the webmaster at mvcac@mvcac.org.
MVCAC Sustaining Member Corner
Note: MVCAC does not endorse the products below, but we do support our Sustaining Members

Central Life Sciences has announced the release of Aqua Zenivex™ E20, a reduced-risk adulticide for mosquito control professionals.