|
|
Image from: http://www.statecollegepa.us/ImageRepository/Document?documentID=12827
July 22th, 2019 – Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Vector Management has reported (13) Thirteen mosquito samples testing positive for West Nile Virus in Pennsylvania. To date, (1) one mosquito samples collected in Lehigh/Northampton Counties have tested positive for West Nile Virus. There have been (0) zero confirmed human cases of West Nile Virus in Lehigh/Northampton Counties in 2019.
The Lehigh/Northampton County Mosquito Borne Disease Control Program and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Vector Management collected the following positive surveys in, 2019 from the following municipalities:
Lehigh Municipalities:
City of Allentown
Northampton Municipalities:
None, No Activity to Date
Additional mosquito surveillance, sampling and larval control will be performed as necessary by the county Mosquito Borne Disease Control Program and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Vector Management.
We recommend residents continue to take time to inspect their yards and take a few minutes to clean up, reduce yard clutter and dump out any sources of stagnant water. Residents may also purchase a variety of mosquito control and repellent
products from most home and garden centers. Performing a community-wide cleanup will help reduce most mosquito concerns. Residents are urged to contact your local municipality to help promote cleaning up to reduce mosquito concerns and disease risk. Storm water management systems can sometimes contribute to mosquito issues and are also routinely monitored by the county Mosquito Borne Disease Control Program.
Our mosquito surveillance indicates that the most common mosquito species in residential areas come from artificial containers left behind by humans. Artificial containers can be something small like a bottle cap to sometimes as large as a swimming pool. Additional containers such as tires, buckets and tarps are preferred by mosquitoes because other predators found in nature which would prey on mosquito larvae are not present. During periods of drought, these containers continue to hold water and produce mosquitoes. One bucket or tire in someone’s backyard can produce hundreds to thousands of mosquitoes in a year.
May through October, mosquitoes can complete their life cycle within five to seven days. Residents should also use repellents when spending time outside. For individuals who don’t like to use repellents we recommend taking an electric fan outside with you on the porch or patio. Mosquitoes don’t like the wind and the fan will help keep them away. As a last resort, residents can purchase insecticides from garden centers and hardware stores to spray in their own yard but need to be sure to follow the label instructions.
County residents can contact the county Mosquito Borne Disease Control Program by calling 610-391-9583 EXT.19 or email jcarroll@lehighconservation.org. Keep in mind that the county Mosquito Borne Disease Control Program attempts to educate residents about the importance of cleaning up. Individuals may need to report any neighbor complaints to their local municipality to rectify the concern.
For information about West Nile Virus symptoms in humans, contact the Pennsylvania Department of Health at 1-877-PA-Health.
Program Coordinator:
Jeffrey Carroll
Lehigh County Conservation District (PH): 610-391-9583 EXT.19
(Email): jcarroll@lehighconservation.org
Information provided to TVL by:
Joshua Siegel
Public Information Officer
County of Lehigh, Office of the County Executive
17 S. 7th Street, 4th Floor, Suite 436
Allentown, PA 18101
www.lehighcounty.org
