Overview

1. This response plan provides updated strategies and protocols for managing non native Aedes mosquitoes, including Aedes aegypti (yellow fever mosquito) and Aedes albopictus (tiger mosquito), that rely on artificial water-holding containers for reproduction. These species are major public health concerns because they can spread diseases like dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika to people. The plan integrates best practices, resource enhancements, and FEMA's four phases of disaster response—mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery—into its framework.

The response plan is a guide for the Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District (ACMAD) to address the potential establishment and spread of Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus in Alameda County. It outlines ACMAD’s plans to survey the County for non-native Aedes, confirm the identification of a mosquito specimen as a non-native Aedes, and limit the dispersal of non-native Aedes in the County. Because the reproduction, dispersion, and control of non-native Aedes mosquitoes differ substantially from that of mosquito species which transmit West Nile virus, a distinct response plan is needed for non-native Aedes.

The ACMAD Non-native Aedes Mosquito Response Plan that is outlined herein was developed using: “Guidance for Surveillance of and Response to Invasive Aedes Mosquitoes and Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika in California” published by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in January 2024, “Surveillance and Control of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in the United States” by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), response plans published by other vector control entities, and knowledge of the environmental factors that drive mosquito abundance in Alameda County. This plan supplements the mosquito control and surveillance activities that are described in the ACMAD Mosquito-Borne Arbovirus Response Plan.