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Mosquito spraying campaign ends
  
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West Nile Virus activity found in Elk Grove
By Cameron Macdonald - Citizen Staff Writer
The three-night, airborne campaign to battle mosquitoes carrying the West Nile Virus in Elk Grove and south Sacramento ended on July 18.
Local mosquito control staff found a high number of West Nile-infected mosquitoes in north and central Elk Grove east of Highway 99 and chose to spray that area by airplane.
Gary Goodman, the assistant manager of the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District, said that the virus cannot be eradicated from the area, but his staff is working to reduce the chances that local mosquitoes will infect humans.
“What we’re hoping to do is to interrupt the transmission cycle from the mosquito to the human population,” he said.
The local control staff plans to collect adult mosquitoes that fell into traps placed across Elk Grove to determine the spraying’s impact, Goodman said.
The West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne disease that can be lethal to humans in serious cases.
The Center for Disease Control (CDE) reported that one in every 150 infected people will suffer severe symptoms like coma, tremors, paralysis and high fever. The symptoms can last several weeks but there can be permanent neurological effects.
The CDE noted that 80 percent of all West Nile-infected humans do not show symptoms.
No humans have been infected in either Sacramento or Yolo County this year, according to the local mosquito district. However, 62 mosquito samples have tested positive and 22 dead birds carrying the virus were found.
Goodman said that numerous mosquito pools and dead birds tested positive east of Highway 99 in Elk Grove.
He said that no virus activity has been found so far in the city’s area that lies west of the highway.
“It doesn’t mean that virus activity is not there,” he said.
There is also concern among district staff about the recent trend of home foreclosures that have left swimming pools neglected enough to be potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes, the district’s General Manager David Brown earlier told the Citizen.
The decision to spray Elk Grove and south Sacramento was made when West Nile activity was still found in those areas after “spot treatments” or sprayings conducted by trucks and backpack-like “foggers” were done there, Goodman said.
Mosquito control staff aerially sprayed a portion of Elk Grove that lies east of Highway 99, and stretches from Calvine Road in the north to Elk Grove Boulevard in the south. Areas of Florin and south Sacramento were also sprayed.
The insecticide Evergreen 60-6 was used during the air campaign, just like what was used on Elk Grove to battle the West Nile Virus in 2005.
Goodman said that the airplane sprayed from 300 feet high and released the insecticide in droplets small enough to briefly stay in the air. He explained that the product disappears after a couple of hours and is designed to breakdown in sunlight.
The mosquito control district wants the public to prevent mosquitoes from growing outside their homes by draining all standing bodies of water in their yards. Residents are also advised to wear long-sleeved clothing and repellant.
The mosquito control district offers services where staff can view a person’s yard for mosquito activity and can provide mosquito-eating fish for facilities like backyard ponds.
Local mosquito control staff found a high number of West Nile-infected mosquitoes in north and central Elk Grove east of Highway 99 and chose to spray that area by airplane.
Gary Goodman, the assistant manager of the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District, said that the virus cannot be eradicated from the area, but his staff is working to reduce the chances that local mosquitoes will infect humans.
“What we’re hoping to do is to interrupt the transmission cycle from the mosquito to the human population,” he said.
The local control staff plans to collect adult mosquitoes that fell into traps placed across Elk Grove to determine the spraying’s impact, Goodman said.
The West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne disease that can be lethal to humans in serious cases.
The Center for Disease Control (CDE) reported that one in every 150 infected people will suffer severe symptoms like coma, tremors, paralysis and high fever. The symptoms can last several weeks but there can be permanent neurological effects.
The CDE noted that 80 percent of all West Nile-infected humans do not show symptoms.
No humans have been infected in either Sacramento or Yolo County this year, according to the local mosquito district. However, 62 mosquito samples have tested positive and 22 dead birds carrying the virus were found.
Goodman said that numerous mosquito pools and dead birds tested positive east of Highway 99 in Elk Grove.
He said that no virus activity has been found so far in the city’s area that lies west of the highway.
“It doesn’t mean that virus activity is not there,” he said.
There is also concern among district staff about the recent trend of home foreclosures that have left swimming pools neglected enough to be potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes, the district’s General Manager David Brown earlier told the Citizen.
The decision to spray Elk Grove and south Sacramento was made when West Nile activity was still found in those areas after “spot treatments” or sprayings conducted by trucks and backpack-like “foggers” were done there, Goodman said.
Mosquito control staff aerially sprayed a portion of Elk Grove that lies east of Highway 99, and stretches from Calvine Road in the north to Elk Grove Boulevard in the south. Areas of Florin and south Sacramento were also sprayed.
The insecticide Evergreen 60-6 was used during the air campaign, just like what was used on Elk Grove to battle the West Nile Virus in 2005.
Goodman said that the airplane sprayed from 300 feet high and released the insecticide in droplets small enough to briefly stay in the air. He explained that the product disappears after a couple of hours and is designed to breakdown in sunlight.
The mosquito control district wants the public to prevent mosquitoes from growing outside their homes by draining all standing bodies of water in their yards. Residents are also advised to wear long-sleeved clothing and repellant.
The mosquito control district offers services where staff can view a person’s yard for mosquito activity and can provide mosquito-eating fish for facilities like backyard ponds.
