BILL NUMBER: ACR 40	INTRODUCED
	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.