Mosquitoes capable of carrying dengue, yellow fevers found in Riverside County

CORONA, Calif. (KABC) -- A mosquito species capable of carrying dengue fever and yellow fever has been spotted in Riverside County.

The discovery comes at a time as the county battles a rise in the number of West Nile virus carrying mosquitoes.

The new species capable of carrying the two dangerous diseases is not native to the area.

The species has a different physical appearance and bites during the daytime, typically two hours after sunrise and two hours before sundown. It has already been discovered in 12 other California counties.

"This mosquito is also known as the yellow fever mosquito. It's very capable at transmitting dengue fever. And for us as close as we are to our friends in the south, Mexico, dengue is endemic in parts of Mexico," said Michelle Brown, Riverside Vector ecologist.

Severe cases of dengue fever can be life threatening and has no cure. Yellow fever does have a vaccine.

Vector Control officials say they are not aware of any local cases of people developing dengue fever or yellow fever. They have sprayed area neighborhoods for West Nile mosquitoes. This has been met with pushback from some residents concerned about the safety of those chemicals.

For more information, visit www.northwestmvcd.org.