A group of Onondaga County lawmakers today got an update on the health department’s mosquito control program. We reported on Wednesday that there are likely to be more mosquitoes as a result of the wet weather, but not necessarily more disease. Still, Health Commissioner Doctor Cynthia Morrow says West Nile virus and Triple-E are a part of the region’s ecology, and they’re trying to control it.
"West Nile tends to be in the city. Triple E is definitely a Cicero swamp virus. We treat them differently, the larvaciding is something we do primarily to control West Nile and this year we went to the city catch basins and we started larvaciding back in May."
Morrow says killing the mosquito eggs lasts about 120 days. She says they typically conduct adulticiding by aerial spraying if there’s an imminent threat of Triple-E. Last year, even though there were very few mosquitoes, there were nine cases of West Nile, including one death.
ONONDAGA COUNTY LAWMAKER IS MOSQUITO MINDED
Legislator Chet Dudzinski knows the risks of Triple-E sometimes found in mosquitos at Cicero Swamp. He actually owns a part of it and lives nearby. He wants people to be vigilant to protect themselves from the deadly virus carried by mosquitos.
“You need to take into consideration that there are mosquitos out there. To be on the safe side especially with young children, older adults. Take the heed of the health department and make sure you put on mosquitos repellent just to be safe. There’s no reason to take an unknown risk when you can possibly prevent an incident with Triple E.”
Even though Dudzinski is concerned, he admits to not wearing long sleeves or repellent during prime mosquito feeding hours. So far Triple-E hasn’t shown up in trapped mosquito tests; however, a trap in Manlius tested positive for the West Nile Virus.
