Disease & Vector Studies II
Disease & Vector Studies II
Maricopa County (AZ) frequently leads the United States in West Nile Virus (WNV) cases and has reported its first locally transmitted Dengue case in 2022. Being one of the fastest expanding metropolitan areas in the nation, there is increasing concern of mosquito-borne illnesses due to human influence and urban impacts in a desert environment. Currently, we have a good understanding on vector species dynamics and diversity across the area, but disease transmission (especially Aedes spp.-borne diseases) depends on the spatial-temporal movement of both humans and mosquitoes. It is important that the risk of contracting arboviruses is studied in more detail, to better understand where and when humans get infected. Collection bottle rotators with EVS traps have surveilled mosquito activity in 5 representative urban areas, by collecting mosquitoes in hourly intervals. Here, we report species diversity and abundance per hour, throughout the mosquito season of 2023 (April to November). This data will be compared with hourly human movement patterns to establish disease transmission risk maps, and to identify the locations and/or communities most at risk for mosquito-borne diseases throughout the Arizona mosquito season.