PUBLIC NOTICE: MDA to Increase Mosquito Control Activities in Montgomery County

ANNAPOLIS, MD  – The Maryland Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Montgomery County Department of Health & Human Services, will expand mosquito control services in areas of Montgomery County tonight due to a public health concern over the potential for mosquito-borne diseases, including West Nile virus and Zika virus.

Mosquito control truck-based spraying will occur on Monday, August 22, weather permitting, in the Wheaton area of Kensington and the Olde Town area of Gaithersburg in Montgomery County.

Spraying will begin at or after 7:30 p.m. Any existing spray exemptions in the area will be temporarily suspended. People should avoid outdoor activities on spray nights. As a follow up, within approximately 24 to 48 hours of the spraying, state and local inspectors will go door-to-door in the area to inspect properties for mosquito breeding sites and will conduct backyard spraying, as needed, to further reduce adult mosquito populations.

Please cooperate with state and local officials who may be in your neighborhood working to protect public health. It is critical that Maryland residents continue to survey their properties and their communities and eliminate or treat mosquito breeding sites, which includes emptying all containers of water around the home and yard.

For more information, including: Frequently Asked Questions, 30-second videos on how to control mosquitoes around the home, tips on how to rid your community of mosquito breeding sites, and tips on how to avoid mosquito bites, visit: www.mda.maryland.gov/zika

All Marylanders are encouraged to follow the department’s new Twitter feed @MdAgMosquito that will post unscheduled spray events and other timely information about mosquito control in Maryland.

For more information, call the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Mosquito Control Program at 410-841-5870 or the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services’ Disease Control Office at 240-777-1755.

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CONTACT:

Julie Oberg, Maryland Department of Agriculture, 410-841-5888
Mary Anderson, Montgomery County Department of Health & Human Services, 301-529-7669