High Prevalence of West Nile Virus In Homer City

Just as Homer City’s local West Nile Virus programme managers prepared to fog a section of it with pesticide Monday, another mosquito trapped nearby tested positive for the disease.

A Harrisburg laboratory confirmed Wednesday an adult mosquito trapped on 17th August in Homer City was carrying the virus that causes encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, according to Bob Pollock, Director of Indiana County’s Penn State Extension.

The fogging on Monday was planned after two mosquitoes trapped near Floodway Park on 3rd and 18th August tested positive for West Nile Virus. A pick-up truck and an all-terrain vehicle will spray a pesticide fog containing the active ingredient permethrin around Floodway Park, along Miller Avenue, Church Street, Pine Alley, Station Street, Highland Avenue, Kirk Avenue, Birch Avenue and Locust Street, at dusk on Monday,

The pesticide fog concentration, which will remain suspended in the air for approximately an hour is harmless to humans and animals, including vegetable gardens or plants, according to Tom Norris, programme field technician. However, residents may take extra precautions by covering gardens with plastic and taking pets indoors.

The surveillance traps attract mosquitoes either with a smelly, swamp water-like concoction or dry ice emitting carbon dioxide, as it is exhaled CO2 that draws mosquitoes to humans.

A battery-powered fan inside the trap sucks the mosquitoes into a container, and a single trap can hold as many as a 100 buzzing mosquitoes.

Placing the entrapped adult mosquitoes, mosquito larva, pupa and eggs collected from water samples on dry ice, they are driven to Harrisburg for testing. Testing positive for West Nile Virus results in enhanced surveillance, If, more samples test positive then measures are taken for killing mosquitoes in the area where the infected mosquitoes were trapped, preferably by applying a larvicide to stagnant water for eliminating them before they hatch. 

Sometimes, however, the aerial dispersion of pesticide as a fog is necessary.Scientists from the Centress for Disease Control and Prevention believe West Nile Virus has been in the eastern United States since 1999.

The virus can cause West Nile encephalitis, an infection that can lead to an inflammation of the brain, when transmitted to people in its milder form. West Nile fever brings with it headaches, skin rashes and swollen lymph glands.

Via : visitbulgaria.info