Pesticide To Be Sprayed Over Orange County Cities To Fight Spread Of West Nile Virus
GARDEN GROVE (CBSLA.com) — Mosquito-control officials will spray pesticide from the air Wednesday and Thursday night over a large swath of Orange County in an effort to prevent the spread of West Nile virus.
Spraying will be done from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. both days over the cities of Orange, Tustin, Villa Park and portions of Anaheim, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Santa Ana and Stanton, according to the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District.
Officials said the aerial spraying of the pesticide Duet will not require residents to stay indoors or cover outdoor pet food or water. There is also no requirement to stay indoors or cover outdoor pet food or water. There is also no requirement to cover cars or wash down outdoor play equipment.
However, the insecticide could affect beekeepers or others who keep insects outdoors.
The pesticide will be sprayed in low doses – roughly one tablespoon to treat an area the size of a football field, officials said.
"Protecting the residents of Orange County from mosquitoes and West Nile virus is our top priority, and this application is being made to reduce the number of infected mosquitoes that pose this threat," OCMVCD Manager Michael Hearst said.
Vector control officials said Tustin, Orange, Anaheim and Santa Ana have had the most West Nile virus activity in mosquitoes and dead birds this year. The virus can be transmitted to humans through infected mosquitos.
As of Aug. 27, there have been five human cases of the virus from the cities of Anaheim, Orange, Garden Grove, Newport Beach and Tustin.
Information on spraying locations is available on the district's website at www.ocvcd.org.
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