HomeMy WebLinkAboutE-Communicator-City Publications-9/5/2012Special Edition: West Nile Virus
WEST NILE VIRUS
IN THIS ISSUE
West Nile Virus
West Nile Virus in
Colleyville
Mosquito Control
Options
Frequently Asked
Questions
Myths & Rumors
Additional Resources
The Colleyville City Council will review the city's mosquito
QUICK LINKS
monitoring and treatment program at the Pre-Council
session of the regularly scheduled City Council meeting
CITY OF COLLEYVILLE
on Tuesday, Sept. 4. The Pre-Council session will start at
5:30 p.m. This meeting can be viewed live on the city's
CITY NEWS
cable channels - Channel 15 for Time Warner subscribers
or Channel 16 for Verizon subscribers. It can also be
PUBLIC MEETINGS
viewed live on the city's webcast. City webcasts are
available for viewing anytime, starting the day after a
City Council meeting.
WEST NILE VIRUS IN COLLEYVILLE
As of Aug. 30, the Tarrant County Public Health
Department (TCPHD) has notified Colleyville of four
human cases of West Nile virus this year. In each case,
the city immediately began standard treatment and
City of Colleyville
notification protocol in the surrounding area including:
817.503.1000
monitoring of all standing waterways (creeks, culverts) in
public areas and public facilities, and scheduled sampling
Suggestionsor
and larvicide applications in stagnant or standing water in
Comments?
public areas.
Residents within a one-half mile radius of a report of
ahuman case of the virus are notified through the city's
CodeRED system. Information about both a human case
ofWNV and a postive WNV pool sampleis posted to the
Colleyville.com, the city's Facebook page, and through
the city's e-news service.
Colleyville participates in the Tarrant County Mosquito
Surveillance Project, which takes samples from 12 sites
around on the city. Testing and monitoringof each site is
done rom late May until late October. To datefive
samples have tested positive.The city uses larvicide
briquettes to treat potential mosquito breeding grounds.
Upon request, the city will provide up to four mosquito
larvicide briquettes to Colleyville residents, on a first-
come, first-served basis. Larvicide briquettes are also
available at Ace Hardware and Foreman's General Store,
both are here in Colleyville.
If requested, city crews will treat a given location-
especially a vacant house with a pool, pond, etc.-with the
larvicide briquettes. To report a concern online, visit the
city's Call on Colleyville request page. Mosquito Control
is listed under the right-hand side of the page, under
MOST REQUESTED items. Requests can also be made
through the mosquito control program manager at
817.503.1102 or by email to jbrock@colleyville.com.
MOSQUITO CONTROL OPTIONS
West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne illness. Up to 80
percent of people infected with West Nile virus will have
no symptoms and will recover on their own; however,
some cases can cause serious illness or death. People
over 50 and those with weakened immune systems are
at a higher risk of becoming ill if they become infected
with the virus.
The best defense is to practice these habits, known
as the "Four Ds":
1.Use insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin or
oil of lemon eucalyptus.
2.Dress in long sleeves and long pants when you
are outside.
3.Stay indoors at dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes
are most active.
4.Drain standing water where mosquitoes breed.
Common breeding sites include old tires,
flowerpots and clogged rain gutters.
To learn more about West Nile virus, see the Texas
Department of State Health Services fact sheet.
Larvicides
The city of Colleyville uses larvicides to kill mosquito
larvae. Larvicides include biological insecticides, such as
the microbial larvicides Bacillus sphaericus and Bacillus
thuringiensis israelensis. Larvicides include other
pesticides, such as temephos, methoprene, oils, and
monomolecular films. Larvicide treatment of breeding
habitats help reduce the adult mosquito population in
nearby areas. Typically, the city of Colleyville uses the
Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis microbial larvicide, which
has been effective in treating mosquitoes larvae before
they hatch. Information on larvicides is available on the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's website.
Ground spraying (adulticiding)
Adulticiding is a process of reducing the population of
mosquitoes with the use of insecticides. This is
usually conducted using ground equipment. Currently, the
city of Colleyville does not conduct any ground spraying.
Most cities that do use Permethrin or a derivative of
Permethrin in ground spraying efforts. Permethrin is a
common synthetic chemical, widely used as an
insecticide, acaricide, and insect repellent. It belongs to
the family of synthetic chemicals called pyrethroids and
functions as a neurotoxin, affecting neuron membranes by
prolonging sodium channel activation.
* For the public health use, permethrin is the most widely
used mosquito adulticide in the United States because of
its low cost, high efficacy, and low incidence of pest
resistance. In residential uses, where there may be a
potential for ecological effects due to urban runoff, the
Agency intends to identify steps which can be taken to
allow a greater understanding of potential ecological risk
from urban uses of pyrethroid as a whole during
Registration Review.
*Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Aerial Spraying
North Texas cities that have opted for aerial spraying use
a product called Duet, a public health mosquito control
product. It has two active ingredients: Sumithrin and
Prallethrin. Duet was registered by the U.S. EPA for use
for public health applications in 1995 to help control adult
mosquito populations.At this time, Tarrant County is not
conducting aerial spraying and no city contained within
the borders of Tarrant County is spraying. (For some
cities, such as Soutlake, a portion of the city is located in
Denton County, which allows them access to aerial
spraying being conducted by Denton County.)
Tarrant County Statement on Mosquito Spraying
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How is West Nile Virus treated?
There is no specific treatment for West Nile virus. Most
people who become infected will get better on their own.
In more severe cases, intensive supportive therapy is
indicated, i.e., hospitalization, intravenous (IV) fluids and
nutrition, airway management, ventilator support if
needed, prevention of secondary infections, and proper
nursing care.
What is being done to protect residents against West
Nile Virus?
The city of Colleyville relies upon surveillance, both by
residents and city crews, to identify and eliminate any
standing water which could serve as a breeding place for
mosquitoes and larvae. Typically larvae will thrive in still,
shallow water less than 15 inches deep. Bird baths, pet
bowls, wading pools, tire swings or any similar receptacle
with standing water can serve as a breeding place for
mosquitoes.
More FAQs
MYTHS & RUMORS
Source:Texas Department of State Health Services
I heard that putting up purple martin houses and bat
houses will help prevent West Nile virus because
those animals eat mosquitoes. Is this true?
While it is true that certain types of birds and bats eat
mosquitoes, putting up bird and bat houses on your
property will not necessarily help prevent the
transmission of West Nile virus. Several agencies have
tried to control mosquitoes by using birds, bats,
dragonflies and frogs. However, according to the
American Mosquito Control Association, there is no proof
that bats, purple martins, or other animals that eat
insects are able to eat enough adult mosquitoes to make
a difference. One reason for this is because purple
martins fly and eat during the day and most mosquitoes
are active at night. In addition, most bats eat June bugs
and moths, but do not eat mosquitoes. Also, bats can
transmit the rabies virus and encouraging them to live in
your yard could pose a health risk to your family and
neighbors.
My community won't spray for mosquitoes.
Therefore, my town has no mosquito control and the
citizens are at risk for West Nile virus.
Mosquito control is best performed using the Integrated
Mosquito Management (IMM) concept. IMM develops pest
management systems that are practical and effective to
protect human health and the environment. Mosquito
control can be divided into two areas of responsibility -
individual and public. Public spraying to control
mosquitoes is only one of many pest control methods
used for effective long-term mosquito control. The
reduction, elimination, or treatment of mosquito breeding
areas is the best and most cost-effective technique for
mosquito control. The most important things you and the
citizens of your community can do to reduce the risk of
exposure to West Nile virus are to eliminate mosquito-
breeding areas in your environment and limit your
exposure to feeding mosquitoes. Many female mosquitoes
can lay 100-300 eggs on the surface of fresh or stagnant
water every third night during its life span. Here are
some simple things you can do to eliminate potential
mosquito breeding sites in your environment:
Do not allow water to accumulate in the saucers of
flowerpots, cemetery urns, or in pet dishes for more
than 2 days.
Get rid of tin cans, old tires, buckets, unused plastic
swimming pools or other containers that collect and
hold water.
Clean debris from rain gutters, remove standing
water from flat roofs, and repair leaks around
faucets and air conditioners.
Change the water in birdbaths and wading pools at
least once a week.
or drain puddles, ditches and swampy areas.
Check for trapped water in plastic or canvas tarps
used to cover boats or pools, and arrange the tarp
to drain the water.
If ditches do not flow and contain stagnant water
for a week or longer, report this problem to a
mosquito control district or public health office.
Answers to more myths and rumors
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Centers for Disease Control West Nile Virus Fact
Sheet
Texas Department of State Health Services - West
Nile Virus Information
Tarrant County Public Health - West Nile Virus
Information
Denton County Public Health - West Nile Virus
Information
Tarrant County Statement on Mosquito Spraying