[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 9769-9770]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING JORGE ARIAS ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT FROM FAIRFAX 
                                 COUNTY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 19, 2013

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and commend Jorge 
Arias, the famous mosquito hunter of Fairfax County, on the occasion of 
his retirement after a decorated career in the field of medical 
entomology, which culminated in his 10-year tenure as the Supervisor of 
the Fairfax County Health Department's Disease Carrying Insects 
Program.
  When most people hear the familiar buzz of a fly or mosquito, their 
natural instinct is to swat them away or reach for the repellent. Not 
Jorge. He welcomes the pests of summer with open, exposed arms, 
inviting them to creep, crawl, and chomp on him. It is that passion 
which made him an easy selection when Fairfax County was looking to 
start its insects program in 2003.
  Clearly the feeling was mutual. In a 2006 profile in The Washington 
Post, Jorge said at the time, ``I thought, 'Oh my lord, this is 
heaven.' I get to play with mosquitoes!'' It is that zeal for 
entomology that has made Jorge a respected expert in international 
circles. Along the way he has suffered multiple infections, mentored 
countless students in the field of biology, and even had several bugs 
named in his honor.
  Jorge is a native Virginian, born in Charlottesville. He was the son 
of a doctor and survived polio as a young child growing up in Panama. 
He went to college thinking he would follow in his father's footsteps, 
but that changed once he sat down for his first entomology class. Some 
people claim to have been ``bitten by the bug'' when describing their 
career choice. For Jorge, it was quite literal. He was known for offer 
himself up in ``live bait'' experiments, sitting out in the rain 
forests for hours unprotected. He became so close to his subjects that 
he could identify the species of fly or mosquito feasting on him even 
in the dark. He has dedicated not only his career, but his very health, 
to the study of insects. Through the years, he has survived bouts with 
multiple diseases, including malaria and, remarkably, hepatitis.
  He received a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees in 
biology from Whittier College in California, and he went on to receive 
his doctorate of philosophy in medical entomology from the University 
of California Riverside. From there, he and his wife, Kathy, joined the 
Peace Corps. They were posted in Brazil, where Jorge helped found 
graduate degree programs in entomology. He later pursued research 
activities in Brazil, Panama, and Venezuela, and then continued that 
work as a consultant with the Pan American Health Organization.
  In Fairfax, Jorge led the creation of an insect identification and 
surveillance program, targeting mosquitoes, ticks, and other insects. 
He has helped raise public awareness about the public health risks of 
West Nile Virus and Lyme Disease and offered helpful tips for 
precaution, particularly among the County's diverse immigrant community 
and in our school classrooms. He also has helped train a new generation 
of ``mosquito hunters'' to carry on this important work.
  The American Mosquito Control Association recognized Jorge in 2011 
with its Volunteer of the Year Award, ``for his outstanding 
contributions to the furtherance of mosquito control education and 
outreach programs in Fairfax County Virginia and to communities around 
the world.'' Last year, the Mid-Atlantic Mosquito Control Association 
recognized him with its 2012 R. E. Dorer award for his ``exceptional 
contributions to mosquito control in the Mid-Atlantic Mosquito Control 
region.''
  Mr. Speaker, when I was a member of the Fairfax County Board of 
Supervisors, we often joked that we should not allow such talented and 
dedicated community servants to retire. We certainly wish that was the 
case here. I wish Jorge, his wife, Kathy, his children, and 
grandchildren, all the best in this well-deserved retirement, and I ask 
that my colleagues in the House join me in expressing our appreciation 
to Jorge for his commitment to public health service and for keeping 
the bugs at bay for the rest of us.

[[Page 9770]]



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