By Khalida Sarwari
Three California students, including a fifth-grader from San Jose, are among the winners of a national poster contest designed to raise awareness about how to prevent insect-borne diseases such as West Nile virus.
Hannah Berenjfoorosh, an 11-year-old San Jose resident who is home-schooled, received a $50 savings bond and a certificate from Dr. Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health.
As part of the contest, co-sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the DEET Education Program, an organization that encourages the use of repellents, the students were asked to design posters with the message “Fight the Bite.”
In their posters, the students depicted life-saving steps that can prevent diseases spread by mosquito and tick bites, such as West Nile virus.
Some of those steps include using repellent, wearing clothes that reduce skin exposure, and eliminating standing water around homes to reduce mosquito breeding, according to the California Department of Public Health.
“With an increase in West Nile virus infections this year, it is crucial to spread the word on practical ways to avoid insect bites and prevent disease,” Horton said in a statement.
Two students from Davis were also recognized this morning at a ceremony held at California State Capitol Park in Sacramento.