New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
The New Bedford Health Department has announced that the Bristol County Mosquito Control Project will conduct targeted ground spraying early on the morning of Monday, August 18, 2014. This round of spraying will target the areas of Industrial Park and Sassaquin Pond. Spraying will take place between 2:00 am and sunrise on Monday morning, weather permitting. Residents in the vicinity of the targeted areas may wish to close their windows this evening prior to the spraying.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced on Thursday the first case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) infection was detected in a deer from Freetown, also located in Bristol County. As result of this finding, DPH raised the EEE
risk level in Freetown to “high” and in the surrounding communities including New Bedford the risk level has been raised to “moderate.”
There have been no human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) or EEE so far this year. Last year, there was one case of EEE acquired by a Massachusetts resident. EEE is spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. EEE is a serious disease in all ages and can even cause death.
The Bristol County Mosquito Control Project has been conducting surveillance in our area to track the potential for disease carrying mosquitoes. Mosquito traps are in place to collect additional pools of mosquitoes and monitoring of mosquito populations will be on-going to assess the effectiveness of the spraying effort.
Residents may 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
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.
