Mississippi, like the rest of the country, has been engaged in debates of important, complex, and nuanced matters involving how our local, state and federal governments attempt – or don’t attempt – to protect us. The topics are weighty and serious.
Racial discrimination. Religious freedom. Discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identification issues. Those debates will continue. Those debates should continue.
But after some four decades of covering government and the courts in Mississippi, I can tell readers with a high degree of certainty that government officials don’t exert nearly the time and political/philosophical horsepower in debate of issues like this than they do over the more mundane matters of governance.
Are the garbage trucks running on time? What about animal control? Then come zoning arguments. And in the rural South, high on that list of “where the rubber meets the road” concerns for government is mosquito control.
Are the mosquito fogger trucks running? What are they spraying? Is it safe? Is it effective? Why are those darn kids riding their bicycles chasing behind the mosquito fogger? Why does the fogger not run in my neighborhood more frequently? Why does the fogger run so often in my neighborhood?
You get the picture. Normally, mosquitoes are a local government concern.
Not to discount the ongoing debate about those noble, previously mentioned maladies like discrimination or religious accommodation, but perhaps the state and national governments should take a more immediate and urgent interest in mosquito control.
In Mississippi and across the South, we know about the dangers of mosquito-borne illnesses. From the older, better known illnesses like malaria and dengue to newer and more exotic diseases like West Nile Virus, St. Louis Encephalitis, and Eastern Equine Encephalitis, there is an institutional knowledge of the fact that danger lies in standing waters and other environments where mosquitoes breed and in failing to spend the money necessary to control mosquitoes in populated areas.
Now comes the lesser known, but more immediately frightening prospect of the so-called Zika Virus. The Zika Virus has been linked to temporary paralysis in adults and brain damage in infants born to infected mothers. Links have also been reported to microcephaly – a disorder that causes infants to be born with unusually small heads. The pathogen can also be sexually transmitted, researchers say.
The federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention has asked Congress for far more than twice the $589 million eventually provided for research into the virus and the associated birth defects.  The Obama administration is pressuring Republicans in Congress for more funding, but congressional leaders are pushing for additional funding for ebola research as well.
For Mississippians and the rest of the U.S. where mosquito-borne illnesses are already a constant concern, it is important to note that the CDC has posted new maps of the estimated range of the types of mosquitoes believed capable of transmitting the virus.
Aedes aegypti mosquitos are known to spread Zika virus in other countries. Many scientists believe Aedes albopictus – also known as the Asian tiger mosquito – may likewise be capable of transmitting the virus. Despite CDC and Obama administration calls for additional funding for Zika research, it should be noted that while there are over 700 confirmed cases of Zika in the U.S. and the fact that the mosquito that carries the Zika virus is present in 30 states, CDC says no locally acquired cases have been reported yet. None.What does that mean? Officials say that indicates that mosquitoes in the states do not yet have the virus. But officials likewise warn that in Puerto Rico, nearly every confirmed case has been contracted locally, meaning the virus is present in mosquitoes there.Time to panic? No. What about pets and livestock? There is no published research suggesting that dogs or cats can acquire, become ill from, or serve as a reservoir for Zika. The CDC has resources available to address questions related to Zika. Here’s a link: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/index.html
But here’s a thought, too: Between the angry slash-and-burn presidential campaign rhetoric, the culture wars, and the things that send us to protest in the streets, there are some functions of government that remain vital and important.
As small-town mayors have long known, keeping the mosquito trucks running is one of those functions. Now, the stakes on that service may just be higher than we usually imagine.
(Sid Salter is a syndicated columnist. Contact him sidsalter@sidsalter.com)