Governor Cooper orders fight against mosquitoes for all counties hit by Florence

by Jason O. Boyd and Daisha Jones

Governor Roy Cooper has ordered that mosquito control efforts be undertaken by the counties affected by Hurricane Florence.

Mr. Cooper has ordered $ 4 million for fun fighting mosquitoes in Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Duplin, Hyde, Jones, Lenoir, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Pitt and Wayne Counties.

You will find below a press release containing more information.

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Due to the increase in mosquito populations caused by Hurricane Florence floods, Governor Roy Cooper today ordered $ 4 million to fund mosquito control efforts in counties currently making the object of a major disaster declaration.

These counties include: Bladen, Beaufort, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Harnett, Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Moore, Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Pitt, Richmond, Robeson , Sampson, Scotland, Wayne and Wilson.

"To help local communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, I ran public funds to fight mosquitoes to protect people living in hard-hit areas," Governor Cooper said.

The funding will begin control efforts as early as Thursday. Each county's allocation will be based on their share of the total area requiring mosquito treatment in the 27 counties. None of the counties will be asked to share the cost of these services up to the amount of their specific allocation. They will have the opportunity to determine the most appropriate ways to provide this service.

"I am grateful to Governor Cooper for taking this step to enable us to provide a vital public health service," said Scott Harrelson, Craven County Health Director. "This has been a serious problem for our county and for many others affected by Hurricane Florence."

The increase in mosquito populations often follows a hurricane or other weather event causing large-scale flooding. While most mosquitoes that appear after a flood do not transmit human disease, they still pose a public health problem by discouraging people from going out and hampering recovery efforts.

Although they are rare, the most common mosquito – transmitted diseases in North Carolina are lacrosse encephalitis, West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis. . Nearly 70% of mosquito-borne infections reported in the state in 2017 were contracted while traveling outside the United States.

On the outside, people should remember to:

– Wear a long-sleeved shirt and long pants when you're outside.

– Use a mosquito repellent containing DEET or an equivalent when you are outdoors and be careful when applying on children.

– Additional information on protective measures to reduce the risk of mosquito bites is available online at ncdhhs.gov/hurricane-florence-mosquitoes.