Mosquito control treatment scheduled for Birmingham

The Chester County Health Department will conduct a mosquito control treatment spray in portions of Thornbury and Birmingham townships on, Sept. 13 from 7:30 to 11 p.m. The rain date for this event is Wednesday, Sept. 14, also from 7:30 to 11.

The Health Department conducts mosquito control treatment in areas with high levels of mosquito activity and where multiple mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile virus. After exhausting all other available mosquito control strategies, spraying is conducted to reduce residents’ risk of WNV infection. Anyone living in an area where mosquitoes are infected with WNV is at risk, but the risk of infection is highest for people who work outside or participate in outdoor activities. Less than 1 percent of people infected will develop serious illness. While serious illness can occur in people of any age, people over 60 years of age, people who have received organ transplants, and people with certain medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and kidney disease are at the greatest risk for serious illness.

The Department uses a truck-mounted sprayer to apply 1.5 ounces of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved product (Permanone or DeltaGard) per acre of land. Sprays are conducted after sunset, when mosquitoes are most active and bees have returned to their hives. Sprayers are turned off near bodies of water and apiaries to protect aquatic life and bees. The county also notifies beekeepers and residents who are listed as hypersensitive in a designated spray area prior to conducting a spray. People who are concerned about exposure to mosquito control products can reduce their potential for exposure by staying indoors with children and pets when their neighborhood is being sprayed. Because the mosquito control spray becomes inactive in just a few hours or with sunshine, it is not necessary to wash off outdoor furniture or playground equipment before use.

Although spraying helps to reduce mosquito populations, the department encourages residents to “Make You and Your Home a Bite-Free Zone” mosquito-borne diseases. Because mosquito-borne diseases are spread through the bite of an infected mosquito, residents can reduce their risk by using insect repellent and other personal protection and getting rid of standing water on their property.

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