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news
release |
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ANDREW J.
SPANO, Westchester County Executive JOSHUA
LIPSMAN, M.D., M.P.H., Commissioner of Health SUSAN TOLCHIN,
Director of Communications |
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CONTACT:
SUSAN TOLCHIN
(914) 285-2932
MARY LANDRIGAN
(914) 637-4715
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2000
COUNTY RECONFIRMS GROUND SPRAYING SCHEDULE FOR TONIGHT, AUG. 14
TWO ADDITIONAL COMMUNITIES TO BE SPRAYED AUG. 16
One More Mosquito Pool from Eastchester Tests Positive for West Nile
Virus
Four more birds test Positive for West Nile Virus
Westchester
County today reconfirmed that ground spraying for adult mosquitoes is
scheduled for tonight, Monday, August
14, beginning at 11:30 p.m. and continuing until 4:30 a.m. in Mount Vernon, Pelham Village and Pelham Manor. On
Wednesday, August 16th, beginning at 11:30 pm and continuing until
4:30 a.m., the communities of Rye Brook
and Port Chester will be
sprayed for mosquitoes.
In
the event that conditions do not permit spraying tonight, spraying is
scheduled to be completed on Wednesday, August 16 in
Mount Vernon, Pelham Village, and Pelham Manor.
The rain date for the spraying of Port
Chester and Rye Brook will be Friday,
August 18.
Even
if it is raining on a night scheduled for pesticide application, residents in
the communities being sprayed are advised take precautions to avoid exposure
to the pesticide. These
precautions include closing their windows, turning air conditioners off or
setting them to re-circulate indoor air during the times of spraying.
Although heavy rains may be occurring during some parts of the spray
time, it may still be possible for the spraying contractors to complete their
spraying during periods when the rain has diminished.
A
repeat application of the pesticide Anvil is required for optimal efficacy, so
these communities will need to be re-sprayed at a later date.
The Westchester County Department of Health was
notified by the New York State Department of Health that one more mosquito
pool collected from Eastchester on July 21 has tested positive for West Nile
virus. This brings the number of
infected mosquito pools from Eastchester up to three, and the total number of
infected mosquito pools from Westchester County up to seven.
The infected mosquito pool was collected in Eastchester prior
to ground spraying operations that were conducted in that area.
Therefore, Eastchester and communities within a two-mile radius do not
need to be resprayed at this time.
In
addition, four more birds have tested positive for West Nile virus:
a sparrow from Port Chester, a sparrow from New Rochelle, a crow from
Pound Ridge, and a crow from Scarsdale. As
a result of these findings, two additional communities will be sprayed for
mosquitoes on Wednesday, August 16:
Port Chester and Rye Brook. The
dead birds
from Scarsdale and Pound Ridge were found dead prior to the mosquito
spraying in those communities, so no additional spraying is required at this
time.
All County ground spraying operations are subject to
the weather and to the availability of specially-equipped spraying vehicles
from the contractor. The County will be ground spraying with Anvil,
a synthetic pyrethroid that is one of the least
toxic pesticides
available. The
ingredients in Anvil are commonly used and found in products that combat fleas
and ticks on pets. When Anvil is
used to combat West Nile virus, it is used in very low concentrations.
Most people will not experience any irritating effects so long as they
are not normally sensitive to pesticides, plant pollen, hairspray, petroleum
solvents or household cleaning products.
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