Item 26 - Adoption of the City of Santa Ana Emergency Operations Plan

Home Browse Search

City of Santa Ana Emergency Operations Plan Part I Basic Plan Figure 93 Aedes Mosquito Locations in Santa Ana Malaria is a serious infectious disease transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes and is caused by single -celled animals (protists) in the genus Plasmodia. The species of mosquito, Anopheles hermsi, present in Orange County that could potentially be involved in transmission of Plasmodia to humans is largely restricted to wetland habitats. Major reclamation and drainage projects to produce more arable and livable land have reduced the malaria transmission potential in many areas of Orange County. However, imported malaria cases among military personnel and overseas travelers returning home have the potential to reintroduce malaria among the County's Anopheles mosquitoes. Flea -borne Diseases - Flea -borne Typhus is caused by Rickettsia felis and/or R. typhi, two closely related bacteria. The cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, commonly found on cats, dogs, opossums, and outdoor wildlife, is considered the primary vector of the flea -borne typhus bacteria in Southern California. Testing of small mammals and the fleas they carry by the District has demonstrated a high prevalence of flea -borne typhus bacteria in fleas (> 40%) collected from areas with human cases. From 2006-2016, over 136 human cases of flea -borne typhus were reported in Orange County. Plague is a naturally occurring bacterial disease associated with wild rodents and fleas. The causative organism Yersinia pestis can be transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected flea, causing swelling ("buboes"; i.e., bubonic plague), but also infection of the bloodstream and even lungs. Plague has a very high fatality rate in humans if cases are not diagnosed and treated with antibiotics in a timely manner. Plague remains endemic in ground squirrel populations in many areas of California. Outbreaks of bubonic plague have been linked to rodent die -offs in California. Multiple dead ground squirrels, rabbits, or rats may indicate an outbreak. The California Department of Public Health, Vector -Borne Disease Section lists the Santa Ana Mountains as a plague endemic area. Plague has been detected in Orange County sporadically. In the early 1980s, ground squirrels in Tonner Canyon and Anaheim Hills tested positive for plague, and in 1998 a roof rat in the city of Orange tested plague positive. Plague in Southern California is typically associated with ground squirrels and wood rats, and is only rarely associated with roof rats. Rats, squirrels, and other small mammals from Orange County tested by the District laboratory have all tested negative since 1998. Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is a human disease caused by a viral pathogen found in rodent urine and excrement that affects humans by attacking the lungs and producing a fatal pneumonia in nearly 40% of cases. 93