Fri. Oct 11th, 2024

Homeless

The Orange County Vector Control District has put the spraying of insecticides in Santa Ana on hold due to the ongoing hot weather, as reported on their website.

They are picking on Santa Ana because our city has allegedly had 40 West Nile Virus infections, which is the highest number of infections of any city in the county, according to county data.

But hold on a minute – it turns out that the reason we have had more West Nile Virus infections is not our population at large but rather one specific demographic – the homeless.

The non-profit Community Action Partnership of Orange County distributed 2,600 packets of insect repellent on Saturday and Sunday, during the Fiestas Patrias event in Downtown Santa Ana, to protect the homeless at the Civic Center.

“Homeless people are particularly at risk because they’re sleeping outdoors,” said Mark Lowry, director of the Orange County Food Bank, which operates under the umbrella of the CAP, as reported by the OC Register.

The packets were donated by Orange County Vector Control, according to Lowry.

Why in the world didn’t OC Vector Control do this in the first place?  Why did they have to scare everyone in Santa Ana with threats of spraying when the real target of their efforts should have been the homeless?

The reality is that OC Vector Control does this sort of thing periodically to justify their massive budget.  This is why we have suggested that OC Vector Control should be folded into the OC Health Care Agency.  That agency tracks disease outbreaks in Orange County.  They would know that the infected residents are the homeless and would as such be in a better position to target the problem.

Our City Council should demand that the OC Vector Control District continue to focus their local efforts on the homeless instead of needlessly spraying our homes.

And, as we have reported before, the Center for Disease Control says that:

Fortunately, most people infected with WNV will have no symptoms. About 1 in 5 people who are infected will develop a fever with other symptoms. Less than 1% of infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, neurologic illness.

The OC Vector Control District has reported that 80% of local mosquitoes are already infected with the West Nile Virus.   What that means is this war is over.  The mosquitoes are practically all infected.  So what we really need to do is clear overgrown landscaping in our backyards, get rid of any standing water, seal our windows and make sure the screens are in decent shape, and use mosquito repellent if we are out late or in the early morning.  We don’t need to spray our homes!

The OC Vector Control District needs to focus on protecting the homeless and if they want to broaden their efforts they must consider alternatives to spraying.

If you are want to make sure the spraying doesn’t’ happen, here is who you should contact:





author avatar
Art Pedroza Editor
Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

By Art Pedroza

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

8 thoughts on “Why didn’t the OC Vector Control District focus on the homeless in the first place?”
  1. Unbelivable id love to have a sprayed home with no worries bout me or my child getting wnv fight the virus not the Spray and now they threw it out on the homeless people thats crap becuse my husband is a gardner and he’s working outside all day so why blame things on the homeless there are a lot of people who have outdoor jobs that puts them at risk also I think it’s wrong whenpeople blame things on the homeless or make it sound like more than what it really is I bet you not one of the wnv was even found in someone Who’s homeless this county has surly went to hell in a handbasket people should fight for What’s right for all of us in this county instead of just thinking only of themselves

    1. Did you even read my article? No one is blaming the homeless. They are at a higher risk because they sleep outside in the open. Good grief.

  2. Your statement alleging that there is more infection in Santa Ana due to the homeless population is ridiculous!! How dare you pick on such a voiceless and vulnerable population to gain more readers to this useless blog. Where is the science justifying your unfounded claim? Please explain yourself sir!!

    1. Don’t be such an ass. The homeless sleep outside. As such they are exposed to mosquitoes in a way most of us aren’t.

      I would bet that 90% of the West Nile Virus cases in Santa Ana involve the homeless.

      1. I bet that 90% of the homeless population were infected with West Nile Virus not by mosquitoes but by Aliens led by Elvis.

  3. YOU STUPID IDIOTS.. I hope the maker of this site gets west nile and dies.. Do you have any idea how un real any of your facts are?? you are trying to get support for things that would have a negative impact on residents lives. They will be back to spray in 2015 and they have FULL support of logical people.

    1. The reality is that more people died from the common cold last year in Orange County than from the West Nile Virus.

      The main victims are the homeless because they sleep outside. So give them shelter or mosquito repellent.

      This crisis was made up be Vector Control to justify their ongoing seizure of property taxes. They should all be fired. If we need chemicals to be sprayed that should be done by private contractors.

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