[ad_1]
FULLERTON – The increase in the number of mosquitoes in an area where West Nile virus has been detected positive has prompted the County Vector Control Agency to take action.
This week, Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District workers are spraying pesticides on trucks, passing nearly 4,000 properties, said Lora Young, spokesperson for the agency. A spraying will cover Gilbert and Euclid streets north of Orangethorpe Avenue to West Valencia Drive, she said. Another spray will include West Commonwealth and West Malvern Avenues, to the west of North Woods Avenue.
Young said between August 24 and September 28, that the agency had collected 29 mosquito samples positive for West Nile virus, of which 27 were found in the area to be sprayed from Thursday, October 4 to Saturday, 6 October. One of the two human cases in the city this year also comes from this part of Fullerton, she said.
Pesticide applications for mosquito control have been controversial over the years. In 2015, the district disrupted its aerial spraying operations after failing to obtain a permit to fly over Disneyland. The proposal to spray from the sky has caused an uproar among some residents of the county.
This time, the district will use DeltaGard, a water-based pesticide approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, said Young. The chemical will be applied at a rate of less than one ounce per acre, which means the pesticide will be highly diluted, she said. It is considered safe for people and pets, said Young.
Residents were informed by posters in neighborhoods and social media, she said.
Until now, no deaths have been reported in Orange County following infection with West Nile virus. Young said mosquitoes were extremely active in the treated area.
"We are also seeing an increase in the number of Aedes mosquitoes," she said. "Although they have the opportunity to transmit other diseases, there has been no case of local transmission."
Information: 714-971-2421 or visit ocvector.org/fullerton.html
Source link
