Mosquitoes in Torrance Carry Encephalitis Strain

Mosquitoes carrying an equine form of encephalitis that can pose a hazard to humans have been discovered on the grounds of the Mobil Oil refinery in Torrance.

County health officials say they want to alert residents to the hazard to prevent an outbreak of the disease.

“There have been no human cases of western equine encephalitis since 1968 and that’s a long time past,” said Art Tilzer, director of consumer protection for the Department of Health Services. “But what we are asking is that people . . . become active sentinels for us, reporting mosquito problems if they have them, draining standing water and avoiding mosquito areas at dawn and dusk.”

Tilzer said results of tests on the mosquitoes captured in Torrance, Malibu and Pomona were returned from a Sacramento laboratory last week.

The equine strain found in the insects collected at the refinery can kill or seriously injure horses and has been known at times to carry over to humans, particularly children, Tilzer said.

Sampling was done at the refinery because it is a large, open site, he said, adding that one of the collection points is on the periphery and the other near the center of the complex on 190th Street.

The equine strain of encephalitis initially causes flu-like symptoms, including headaches, body aches and sluggishness, Tilzer said, that generally go away within seven to 10 days. Severe cases, however, can result in high fever, convulsions, coma and death.