The county of San Diego should
boost staffing at its underused Vector Disease and Diagnostic Laboratory and
collaborate with local universities and organizations against public health
threats, the county grand jury concluded in a report released Tuesday.
The grand jury suggested that
San Diego is vulnerable to an outbreak of vector-borne illnesses -- like West
Nile virus, Lyme disease or dengue that are spread by mosquitoes, ticks and
fleas -- as more people travel internationally and move into previously
uninhabited areas. Climate change is also a factor, according to the report.
The grand jury found that the
county's laboratory has 6,000 square feet of unused space, and noted that
officials are hoping to lease it out. Instead, the county should add staff and
partner with the local biotech industry, universities and public health
authorities, according to the panel.
Other than the unused space,
the laboratory was lauded in the report as "farsighted, innovative and worthy
of commendation.'' It was established four years ago, succeeding the former
Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory -- which the grand jury said was losing
funding and relevance.
The lab is run by the county
vector control program, which leads the region's fight against West Nile virus
and hantavirus, among other diseases that are found in the area.
"The Vector Disease and
Diagnostic Laboratory has been able to perform its current functions with a
staff of three people working under the county veterinarian and within its
current budget,'' the report says.
The grand jury went on to say
that "there exists a need to develop testing procedures proactively for a
wide variety of vector-borne diseases that have not yet spread to California.
The current lab is uniquely positioned to take on this expanded role -- it has
the lab space, the equipment and the staff expertise.''
Chikungunya is among the
diseases which the grand jury identified as having the potential to appear in
San Diego. The viral illness is spread by mosquitoes and is primarily found in
the Caribbean and South America, but travelers to those areas could bring the
virus to this country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
The first locally acquired
cases of Chikungunya in the U.S. occurred last year in Florida, the CDC
reported.
A mosquito capable of carrying
the disease was discovered in San Diego for the first time last year, according
to county officials.
The county Board of Supervisors
has until Aug. 10 to respond to the grand jury's recommendations.
May 12, 2015
Seaside
Courier
By
City News Service
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