West Nile Virus Confirmed in Mosquitoes from Salem

Northeast Mosquito Control to conduct spraying later this week

The Salem Board of Health announced today that spraying for mosquitoes will be conducted in parts of South Salem on the night of Wednesday, August 21, starting at 8:00 p.m. Salem’s Board of Health and officials from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Northeast Mosquito Control program made the decision to conduct precautionary spraying following the detection of West Nile Virus-positive mosquito samples in the region in recent days. Spraying is weather-dependent; the rain date will be Thursday, August 22.

The spraying will take place in the area within Lafayette Street/Linden Street to the Swampscott and Marblehead borders. To be most effective, spraying needs to be done when mosquitoes are active and the temperature is about 60 degrees.

Residents of these neighborhoods and those who live within 1,500 feet of the border of any of these areas should take simple precautions to avoid exposure to pesticide during the time that their city or town is scheduled to be sprayed:

• Stay indoors, keep your windows closed, and turn off window fans during the time spraying occurs. If your air conditioner has a fresh air intake feature, you may want to shut off the intake during the spraying.
• Keep pets indoors when spraying is occurring in your immediate area.
• If skin or clothes or other items are come into contact with sprayed pesticide, wash with soap and water. If the spray gets in your eyes, immediately rinse them with water or eye drops, and call your doctor.
• If you have a small ornamental fish pond, you may want to cover it during the night of spraying.
• Following the spray, rinse with water any homegrown fruits and vegetables that may have been sprayed.
• The pesticide being used is Duet, which has been approved for spraying use by the EPA and the Massachusetts Bureau of Pesticides. Sumithrin, the active ingredient in Duet, poses no significant risk to people or pets. Duet is designed to quickly attract and knockout mosquitoes and then quickly dissipate. The pesticide will be sprayed into the air, not onto the ground. As a precaution, Mosquito Control will shut off the spray if people or pets are directly abutting the truck.

Spraying of pesticides reduces but does not eliminate the risk of mosquito-borne illness. All residents, whether inside or outside the spray zone, are urged to continue taking personal precautions to avoid mosquito bites. These include using insect repellent, covering exposed skin when outside, and avoiding outdoor activities between the hours of dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are at their most active.

Please visit Northeast Mosquito Control at http://www.northeastmassmosquito.com/ and the Department of Public Health at http://www.mass.gov/dph for more information and updates.

Protect yourself from Mosquitoes

Due to the unseasonably wet weather and warmer days, there has been an observed increase in the mosquito population. This is worsened by the presence of mosquitoes with West Nile Virus in the city. As a preventative measure, we have sprayed the entire city.

The Salem Board of Health will continue to work closely with the MDPH and other agencies and are providing information on measures that residents can take to reduce mosquito breeding places as well as protecting themselves from being bitten by mosquitoes.

Residents can protect themselves from mosquito bites by taking a few, common-sense precautions, people can help to protect themselves and their loved ones, especially those who engage in outdoor activity after dusk:

Avoid Mosquito Bites
· Be Aware of Peak Mosquito Hours - The hours from dusk to dawn are peak biting times for many mosquitoes. Consider rescheduling outdoor activities that occur during evening or early morning. Otherwise, take extra care to use repellent and protective clothing.

· Clothing Can Help reduce mosquito bites. Although it may be difficult to do when it’s hot, wearing long-sleeves, long pants and socks when outdoors will help keep mosquitoes away from your skin.

· Apply Insect Repellent when you go outdoors. Use a repellent with DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide), permethrin, picaridin (KBR 3023), IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus [p-methane 3, 8-diol (PMD)] according to the instructions on the product label. DEET products should not be used on infants under two months of age and should be used in concentrations of 30% or less on older children. Oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under three years of age. Permethrin products are intended for use on items such as clothing, shoes, bed nets and camping gear and should not be applied to skin.

Mosquito-Proof Your Home
· Drain Standing Water - Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Limit the number of places around your home for mosquitoes to breed by either draining or getting rid of items that hold water. Check rain gutters and drains. Empty any unused flowerpots and wading pools, and change water in birdbaths frequently.

· Install or Repair Screens - Some mosquitoes like to come indoors. Keep them outside by having tightly-fitting screens on all of your windows and doors.

Information about WNV and reports of WNV activity in Massachusetts during 2010 can be found on the MDPH website at http://www.mass.gov/dph/wnv. Recorded information about WNV is also available by calling the MDPH Public Health Information Line at 1-866-MASS-WNV (1-866-627-7968).
In SALEM:

CONTACT: Larry Ramdin, Health Agent
TELEPHONE: 978-741-1800