HEATH, Texas – The City of Heath will perform ground-based spraying for mosquitoes in the Moraine neighborhood after a sample taken in the neighborhood tested positive for the West Nile virus on August 19, 2014.
HEATH, Texas – The City of Heath will perform ground-based spraying for mosquitoes in the Moraine neighborhood after a sample taken in the neighborhood tested positive for the West Nile virus on August 19, 2014.
Weather permitting, the ground-based spraying will be conducted on Friday, August 22, 2014, and Sunday, August 24, 2014, after 9 p.m. The city will continue to test for the West Nile virus at several different locations throughout the city and will conduct additional spraying as needed.
The pesticide Permanone will be used to spray, according to Heath officials. “Pesticides that are used for mosquito control have been judged by the EPA not to pose an unreasonable risk to human health,” states a release from the City of Heath.
“Spraying is scheduled in the evening to limit exposure to people who may wish to avoid contact with the pesticide used to control mosquito populations. People who are concerned about exposure to a pesticide, such as those with chemical sensitivity or breathing conditions such as asthma, can reduce their potential for exposure by staying indoors during the application period,” continues the release.
The last report of a human case of West Nile in Rockwall County was in 2012 when one person tested positive with West Nile neuroinvasive disease and two people tested positive for the West Nile fever, according to Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) data.
Dallas County has reported three human cases of West Nile fever this year.
In 2013, Kaufman County had two confirmed human cases of West Nile fever, a significant drop from 2012 which was three cases of the fever and eight cases of West Nile neuroinvasive disease, according to TDSHS data.
The City of Forney has been spraying for mosquitoes each month since April and will continue to spray through September. Spraying is not currently done within Kaufman County Precinct 2 which encompasses Travis Ranch and Windmill Farms. Neither performs tests for West Nile virus.
