Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District Board of Trustees Meeting January 8, 2008

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Agenda Item: New Business

Discussion and/or approval to add one position titled Vector Control Technician I to be assigned to the Vector and Disease Surveillance Laboratory to help to effectively address the demands of surveillance for SLE, WEE, WNV and potential future emerging infectious diseases. – Branka Lothrop, Scientific Operations Manager

Background:

The Disease and Vector Control Program has expanded in the last five years to professionally address the demands of surveillance for WNv and potential emerging infectious diseases. To provide the best possible service to the public, the District has developed a strategic plan that emphasizes a surveillance program to detect, investigate, and monitor present pathogens, their affect on public health, and the factors influencing their emergence.

Over the last 5 years, the surveillance program introduced new techniques and new requirements for the Department’s staff. It has developed into a complex program with components ranging from basic and routine functions, such as setting traps, maintenance of the chicken flocks, to sophisticated tests requiring higher education and training.

The Vector and Disease Surveillance Laboratory is supervised by the Scientific Operations Manager and includes a full-time Vector Ecologist (vacant), Assistant Vector Ecologist, and Laboratory Assistant. As the supervisor of the Department, my goal is to continue improving vector and nuisance species surveillance and detection of diseases. With the current staff, it will be impossible to maintain the quantity and quality of the work that needs to be done with the impending, planned expansion of the program. The surveillance program is very time consuming. It requires extensive driving to reach each set of traps that are used in the program – from Palm Springs to the Imperial County border. With the upper Valley traffic and the increase in Valley population as a whole, it takes increasingly longer times to service the traps and sentinel flocks. After the field work, material is processed in the laboratory, which is also time consuming. In addition, the Department’s goal is to finish all the testing no later than every Thursday by mid-day so that the Lab can provide the Operations Department with data in time to organize ULV ground or aerial applications, if necessary.

The current surveillance program is very different from the time when New Jersey Light Traps were the only tool used in mosquito surveillance; it is more complex and requires different levels of expertise. To ensure quality and a timely response of the surveillance program, staff is asking the Trustees of the Board to consider opening the Vector Control Technician I position to help with the basic, routine, and time consuming tasks to more effectively address the demands of surveillance for SLE, WEE, WNV, and potential emerging infectious diseases.

Staff Recommendation:

Approve opening one Vector Control Technician I position to be assigned to the Vector and Disease Surveillance Laboratory to effectively address the demands of surveillance for SLE, WEE, WNV, and potential emerging infectious diseases.

Fiscal Impact:

Approximately $27,000 is needed for the balance of the 2007/2008 fiscal year to fund the addition of this position. This position will be added to future budgets and funded accordingly.