BILL NUMBER: ACR 40INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Conway FEBRUARY 26, 2009 Relative to West Nile Virus and Mosquito and Vector Control Awareness Week. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 40, as introduced, Conway. West Nile Virus and Mosquito and Vector Control Awareness Week. This measure would declare April 20 through April 26, 2009, as West Nile Virus and Mosquito and Vector Control Awareness Week. Fiscal committee: no. WHEREAS, West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne disease that can result in debilitating cases of meningitis and encephalitis and death to humans, horses, avian species, and other wildlife; and WHEREAS, In 2008, West Nile virus resulted in 15 deaths in California and sickened over 438 others; and WHEREAS, The State Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predict West Nile virus will again pose a grave public health threat in California in 2009; and WHEREAS, Adequately funded mosquito and vector control, disease surveillance, and public awareness programs are the best ways to prevent outbreaks of West Nile virus and other diseases borne by mosquitoes and other vectors; and WHEREAS, Mosquitoes and other vectors, including, but not limited to, ticks, Africanized honeybees, rats, fleas, and flies, continue to be a source of human suffering, illness, death, and a public nuisance in California and around the world; and WHEREAS, Excess numbers of mosquitoes and other vectors spread diseases, reduce enjoyment of both public and private outdoor living spaces, reduce property values, hinder outdoor work, and reduce livestock productivity; and WHEREAS, Professional mosquito and vector control based on scientific research has made great advances in reducing mosquito and vector populations and the diseases they transmit; and WHEREAS, Established mosquito- and vector-borne diseases such as plague, Lyme disease, and encephalitis, and new and emerging vector-borne diseases such as hantavirus, arenavirus, babesiosis, and ehrlichiosis cause illness and sometimes death every year in California; and WHEREAS, Mosquito and vector control districts throughout the State of California work closely with the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the State Department of Public Health to reduce pesticide risks to humans, animals, and the environment while protecting human health from mosquito- and vector-borne diseases and nuisance attacks; and WHEREAS, The public's awareness of the health benefits associated with safe, professionally applied mosquito and vector control methods will support these efforts, as well as motivate the public to eliminate mosquito and vector breeding sites on private property; and WHEREAS, Educational programs have been developed to include schools, civic groups, private industry, and government agencies, in order to meet the public's need for information about West Nile virus, other diseases, and mosquito and vector biology and control; and WHEREAS, Public awareness can result in reduced production of mosquitoes and other vectors on private, commercial, and public lands by responsible parties, avoidance of the bites of mosquitoes and other vectors when the risk of West Nile virus and other disease transmission is high, detection of human cases of mosquito- and vector-borne diseases that may otherwise be misdiagnosed for lack of appropriate laboratory testing, and the formation of mosquito or vector control agencies where needed; and WHEREAS, Public awareness can result in action to provide adequate funding for existing mosquito and vector control agencies or to create control agencies in areas where there are no existing controls; and WHEREAS, West Nile Virus and Mosquito and Vector Control Awareness Week will increase the public's awareness of the threat of West Nile virus and other diseases and the activities of the various mosquito and vector research and control agencies working to minimize the health threat within California, and will highlight the educational programs currently available; and WHEREAS, The Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California has designated the week of April 20 through April 26, 2009, as West Nile Virus and Mosquito and Vector Control Awareness Week in the State of California; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby declares that the week of April 20 through April 26, 2009, be designated as West Nile Virus and Mosquito and Vector Control Awareness Week; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit a copy of this resolution to the Governor, State Public Health Officer, and the author for appropriate distribution.