SAN DIEGO - Mosquito spraying last week in South Park turned out to be for naught, as tests on an area resident who showed symptoms of either the Zika virus or another tropical disease came back negative, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency reported Tuesday.
County officials decided to spray a two-block area on Friday in an abundance of caution after the unnamed person returned home from visiting a country where mosquito-borne illnesses are prevalent and began to show symptoms.
The goal was to make sure Zika, chikungunya or dengue fever wouldn't spread to the area's Aedes mosquito population, which could then infect more humans.
Larvae of the mosquito species, which can carry those diseases, were found near the sick person's residence. However, no Aedes mosquito has ever been found with those diseases in San Diego County, according to county officials.
Routine mosquito monitoring will continue in the area, county health officials said.
Meanwhile, all county residents are reminded to prevent mosquito breeding by getting rid of standing water in saucers, old tires, buckets and the like; avoid bites by remaining indoors at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active, and wearing long sleeves and pants.
Report daytime bites or discoveries of Aedes mosquitoes to vector control at (858) 694-2888.
