News Releases > More mosquitoes test positive for West Nile virus - Spraying to take place Wednesday and Thursday nights, weather permitting

ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. (September 16, 2008) – As part of its ongoing efforts to control mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus, the health department will conduct targeted spraying this week in several areas around the county.

Vector control crews will spray Wednesday in a half-mile radius of the 6100 block of Ridgemont Drive in Fort Wayne and the 21100 block of Flatrock Road near Monroeville. Additional spraying will occur Thursday in a half-mile radius around the 700 block of Curdes Avenue, the 800 block of Delaware Avenue, and the 3100 blocks of Pennsylvania and Pittsburg streets in Fort Wayne, as a result of ongoing West Nile virus activity in mosquitoes in those areas.

Spraying will occur between the hours of 7 p.m. and 11 p.m., weather permitting. Maps of those spray locations are included with this release and will be posted on the department’s Web site. Residents may request that their property not be sprayed by calling (260) 449-7459 and leaving their name, address, phone number or email.

Certain species of mosquitoes carry the West Nile virus which, when transmitted to humans, can cause symptoms such as fever, headaches, body aches, swollen lymph glands or a rash. In rarer cases, the virus may cause meningitis, muscle paralysis or sometimes-fatal encephalitis.

The health department’s mosquito control program focuses on eliminating potential breeding sites, larviciding to reduce the mosquito population, and placing traps to collect and test mosquitoes for disease. Spraying for adult mosquitoes, also known as adulticiding, is only performed when samples test positive for the West Nile virus. Of the 386 mosquito samples analyzed this summer, 16 have tested positive. So far, no human cases of West Nile virus have been confirmed in Allen County.

While the pesticide used for mosquito control is an EPA-approved, low-volume concentration that is considered safe for humans and pets, it is suggested that residents remain indoors, bring pets inside, and close windows and doors while spraying is occurring.

Residents are also encouraged to take precautions to avoid mosquitoes by wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, by using an insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus when outdoors, and by eliminating standing water around their homes. 

For more information, or a copy of the spray maps, please visit www.fw-ac-deptofhealth.com.

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