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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
MARY LANDRIGAN
(914) 813-5000 (After Hours)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 13, 2004
SPRING S.T.I.N.G. EVENTS ARE A HUGE SUCCESS
TO COMBAT WEST NILE VIRUS Larvicide Application Program Complete
The Westchester County
Department of Health today announced the success of two initiatives designed to
combat West Nile virus; the Annual Spring S.T.I.N.G. events which collected old
tires from residents for recycling and the completion of its larvicide
application program. The initiatives
are particularly important as the County enters peak season for West Nile virus
in August and September.
Nearly 1,100 old tires were
collected during the two Spring S.T.I.N.G. weekends in conjunction with the
County’s Household Chemical Clean-Up Days.
Larvicide briquettes were applied to catch basins throughout the County
to prevent mosquito larvae in the catch basins from developing into adult mosquitoes
that are capable of spreading West Nile virus to humans.
“I
applaud the residents of Westchester who took on the task of recycling old
tires,” said County Executive Andy Spano.
“Spring S.T.I.N.G. has been an annual event for the past four years and
each year I continue to be impressed with the enthusiasm of our residents to do
their part in protecting the public health.”
Beginning in mid-May,
certified technicians from the Westchester County Department of Health began
applying briquettes of the larvicide Altosid XR (methoprene) into County,
State, and municipal catch basins on May 17.
Of the 64,500 catch basins countywide, a total of 57,000 were treated
with larvicide. The remaining 7,500
were inspected but not treated for reasons such as the catch basin being void
of a sump and having no place for water to collect; the sump or the entire
catch basin being filled with sediment so water could not accumulate; or other
similar factors that made the catch basin an unfit mosquito breeding ground. Orange
dots have been marked on all catch basins to
identify which have been treated and which have not. One orange dot indicates that the catch basin has been
treated. Two orange dots signify that
no treatment was necessary for that particular basin.
MORE
Spring STING Success Pg. 2
“While the two Spring S.T.I.N.G. weekends were a tremendous
success in the collection of so many potential mosquito breeding grounds found
in old tires, I would like to remind residents that there are many year-round
outlets for residents to recycle tires in Westchester County and year round
activities that they can do to eliminate other mosquito breeding grounds in
their neighborhoods,” said Dr. Joshua Lipsman, Commissioner of Health. “Without the constant vigilance of our
residents and the removal of sources of standing water in our neighborhoods,
the control of West Nile virus would be much more difficult.” Residents can call the County’s Household
Chemical Info Line at (914) 813-5425 or visit the Health Department’s website
at www.westchestergov.com/health/WestNile.htm
for a complete list of year-round tire recycling centers.
The Health Department also
offers the following suggestions for eliminating mosquito breeding grounds from
around private homes and property:
·
Get rid of all water holding containers, especially old tires, cans,
buckets, drums, wheelbarrows and bottles.
·
Cover all outdoor trash containers to keep rainwater from accumulating
inside.
·
Drill holes in the bottoms of all recycling containers that are left
outdoors.
·
Clean roof gutters and remove standing water from flat roofs.
·
Drain the water in birdbaths, plant pots and drip trays twice weekly.
·
Sweep driveways after it rains so that they are free of puddles.
Free fly swatters are
available, while supplies last, for residents at each of the Health
Department’s offices. Residents can
pick up their free fly swatter, one per family, at any of the following six
locations.