News Releases > Mosquito sample tests positive for West Nile virus - Health department will spray a half-mile radius of Curdes Avenue on Tuesday

ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. (August 25, 2008) – A sample of mosquitoes collected at the 700 block of Curdes Avenue has tested positive for West Nile virus and health officials plan to spray in the area on Tuesday night.

Spraying in a half-mile radius around Curdes Avenue will begin at approximately 7:30 p.m. and end before 11:30 p.m., weather permitting. A map of the proposed spray area is included with this release and available on the department’s Web site at www.fw-ac-deptofhealth.com. The boundaries are as follows:

• North - 300 block of Constance Avenue to 1,300 block of Somerset Lane
• South - 800 to 1,000 block of Delaware Avenue
• East- 3,000 block of Crescent Avenue to 2,700 block of Florida Drive
• West - 2,300 to 3,200 block of Eastbrook Avenue

West Nile virus is usually transmitted to humans by a mosquito that has first bitten an infected bird. The virus often causes a mild form of illness characterized by fever, headaches, body aches, swollen lymph glands or a rash. In rarer cases, the virus may cause meningitis, muscle paralysis or sometimes-fatal encephalitis.  People age 50 and older are at greatest risk for serious illness.

Last week, the Indiana State Department of Health confirmed that a person in Perry County had tested positive for West Nile virus, the state’s first human case.  Infected mosquitoes have also been found in 15 counties. This is the first positive sample in Allen County this year.

To monitor for West Nile virus activity, the Fort Wayne-Allen County Heath Department sets up mosquito traps around the county and tests weekly. Department policy calls for targeted spraying whenever infected mosquitoes are found. The use of pesticides in Allen County is conducted in accordance with federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Indiana Office of the State Chemist guidelines.

Anyone who does not wish to have mosquito adulticide sprayed in front of their residence may call (260) 449-7459 and leave their name and address. The trucks will stop spraying one house before and begin again one house after the “No Spray” address.  The department will try to honor all “No Spray” requests received by 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Residents are urged to protect themselves from mosquitoes by wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, by applying an insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus to clothes and exposed skin, and by eliminating standing water around their homes.

For more information on mosquito control, visit www.fw-ac-deptofhealth.com.