EEE Found in Mosquitoes in Area of Washburn & Logan Streets; Targeted Ground Spraying Planned

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) has notified the New Bedford Health Department that a primarily bird-biting/occasional mammal biting mosquito has tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in the area of Washburn and Logan Streets in New Bedford. MDPH also reported positive EEE pools were found in Freetown.

In response, the Bristol County Mosquito Control Project will conduct targeted ground spraying early on the morning of Thursday, September 11, 2014 in the area where the positive result was obtained as well as other areas of the city including Fort Taber, Brooklawn Park, Buttonwood Park, Hazelwood Park, Riverside Park, the Poor Farm Area, Clasky Common Park, Ashley Park and Ben Rose Field.

In addition, Bristol County Mosquito control will conduct spraying in the areas of Industrial Park and Sassaquin Avenue on Friday, September 12, 2014.

On both Thursday and Friday, spraying will be conducted between 2:00 am and sunrise, weather permitting. Residents in the vicinity of the targeted areas may wish to close their windows this evening prior to spraying.

The Bristol County Mosquito Control Project has been conducting increased surveillance in our area to track the potential for EEE and WNV carrying mosquitoes. Mosquito traps are in place to collect additional pools of mosquitoes and monitoring of mosquito populations will be on-going to assess effectiveness of the spraying effort.

Residents are encouraged to request a ground spray by calling the Bristol County Mosquito Control project at (508) 823-5253, between 8:00am – 2:00pm (June – September), or contacting them by E-mail at RequestBristolMCP@comcast.net.

The following precautions are advised:

Avoid Mosquito Bites

• Avoid outside areas with obvious mosquito activity
• Be Aware of Peak Mosquito Hours – While mosquitoes are out at all hours of the day, their peak biting times are from dusk to dawn. Consider rescheduling outdoor activities that occur during evening or early morning. Otherwise, take extra care to use repellent and protective clothing, especially if you work or spend a lot of time outdoors.
• Clothing Can Help Reduce Mosquito Bites. Although it may be difficult to do when it’s hot, wearing long-sleeves, long pants and socks when outdoors will help keep mosquitoes away from your skin.
• Apply Insect Repellent when you go outdoors. Use a repellent with DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide), permethrin, picaridin (KBR 3023), IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus [p-methane 3, 8-diol (PMD)] according to the instructions on the product label. DEET products should not be used on infants under two months of age and should be used in concentrations of 30% or less on older children. Oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under three years of age. Permethrin products are intended for use on items such as clothing, shoes, bed nets and camping gear and should not be applied to skin.

Mosquito-Proof Your Home

• Drain Standing Water – Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Limit the number of places around your home for mosquitoes to breed by either draining or getting rid of items that hold water. Check rain gutters and drains. Empty any unused flowerpots and wading pools, and change water in birdbaths frequently.
• Install or Repair Screens – Some mosquitoes like to come indoors. Keep them outside by having tightly-fitting screens on all of your windows and doors.