{"id":23519,"date":"2019-07-31T16:25:45","date_gmt":"2019-07-31T20:25:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/?p=23519"},"modified":"2019-07-31T16:25:45","modified_gmt":"2019-07-31T20:25:45","slug":"public-notice-unscheduled-mosquito-control-spraying-in-worcester-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2019\/07\/31\/public-notice-unscheduled-mosquito-control-spraying-in-worcester-county\/","title":{"rendered":"PUBLIC NOTICE: Unscheduled Mosquito Control Spraying in Worcester County"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Treatment scheduled for Thursday Evening in response to Eastern equine encephalitis-positive mosquito pool<\/em><\/h3>\n

ANNAPOLIS, MD <\/strong>\u2013 The Maryland Department of Agriculture will conduct unscheduled mosquito control spraying in response to an Eastern equine encephalitis-positive mosquito pool in Worcester County. The department will use Ultra-Low Volume (ULV) truck-based spraying to control adult mosquitoes within a two-mile radius of where the positive sample was found in Whaleyville.<\/p>\n

Spraying will occur Thursday after 7:30 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, spraying will be re-scheduled for the next available evening. Any existing spray exemptions in the area will be temporarily suspended.<\/p>\n

Mosquito Control personnel will use a permethrin-based solution that the\u00a0EPA has approved<\/a>\u00a0for use in public health mosquito control programs without posing unreasonable risks to human health. However, out of an abundance of caution, the department recommends avoiding outdoor activities during spraying.<\/p>\n

The department\u2019s Mosquito Control Office, in cooperation with the Maryland Department of Health, has been conducting surveillance activities throughout the state to collect and test mosquitoes for West Nile virus, Eastern equine encephalitis, and several other mosquito-borne diseases. These diseases are endemic in Maryland and are transmitted through the bite of a mosquito.<\/p>\n

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), human cases of\u00a0Eastern equine encephalitis<\/a>, or EEE, are rare. EEE disease occurs primarily in areas close to swamps and marshes with high mosquito populations. On average, seven human cases of EEE are reported annually in the U.S. Approximately 30 percent of people infected with EEE die and many survivors have ongoing neurologic problems. People most at risk for developing severe disease are those over 50 and younger than age 15. EEE infection can result in one of two types of illness, systemic or encephalitic. Systemic infection has an abrupt onset and is characterized by chills, fever, malaise, arthralgia, and myalgia, lasting one to two weeks. Signs and symptoms in encephalitic patients are fever, headache, irritability, restlessness, drowsiness, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, cyanosis, convulsions, and coma. Individuals reporting these symptoms should be referred to their health care provider. Symptoms usually occur four to 10 days after exposure to a mosquito carrying the virus.<\/p>\n

While not all mosquitoes carry these diseases, the Maryland Department of Agriculture suggests that residents take precautions to minimize their exposure to mosquito bites. These measures include:<\/p>\n