In response to a Thursday, March 28, Accolade online article about “PUBLIC HEALTH NOTICE” signs related to the West Nile Virus being removed around the Sunny Hills campus, Vector control officials confirmed their oversight in leaving them up much longer than expected.

Vector control officials said they had seasonal assistants tie the 8.5 inches wide by 11 inches high signs on Monday, Oct. 23, outside the Sunny Hills west parking lot and behind Raytheon Co. on Benchley Street.

But instead of removing them in December when the West Nile virus risk was low, officials didn’t realize they had missed collecting them from this section of the city until The Accolade contacted Vector control about them last month.

That prompted their removal on Wednesday, March 6, according to a Friday, March 29, email from Miquel Jacobs, director of communications for the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District [OC Vector].

Jacobs had written about the oversight in an earlier email response to The Accolade’s question regarding the publication’s interest in using statistics about the number of positive West Nile virus mosquito samples in the Fullerton area from its website as an infographic for its story posted last week.

“That public health advisory was intended for the fall 2023 timeframe — no West Nile Virus public health advisory is currently in effect for the Fullerton area; nor has there been one in the first two months of the 2024 calendar year,” the communications director wrote. “Thank you for bringing to our attention that this advisory notice was not included in our take-down process.”

Most students were critical of OC Vector’s mistake in leaving the placards up for three extra months when the West Nile virus threat no longer existed.

“I didn’t know that they were up too long, though I noticed the signs were really faded,” junior Maya Kew-Layton said. “I think the lateness to take down the signs is disappointing, but better than being late to put them up.”

Sophomore Cha Cha Hallawaarachchi said he also feels better now that the signs are gone.

“I was a little worried, and I started wearing baggier clothes just in case,” Hallawaarachchi said. “I feel a lot safer now; I can go back to wearing normal clothing.”

The sophomore also said OC Vector should have been more efficient in taking down the notices. 

“I feel like that’s a sign of laziness,” Hallawaarachchi said.