The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), in cooperation with the Prince George’s County and Anne Arundel county Health Department, will expand mosquito control services in areas due to a public health concern over the potential for mosquito-borne diseases after additional mosquito pools tested positive for the West Nile Virus.
So far, no human cases have been reported. “For most people that get West Nile, they have zero symptoms. No symptoms at all,” said Johns Hopkins University senior scholar and physician Dr. Amesh Adalja (per FOX 5). Per the CDC, about 1 in 5 people who are infected develop a fever with other symptoms such as headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. About 1 in 150 people who are infected develop a severe illness affecting the central nervous system such as encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord).
Ultra-Low Volume (ULV) truck-based spraying to control adult mosquitoes occurred on Monday August 7, 2023, within a ¾-mile radius of the dead end of Marianne Drive in Morningside in Prince George’s County and within the Herald Harbor neighborhood in Anne Arundel County.
MDA Mosquito Control Program personnel used a permethrin-based solution that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved for use in public health mosquito control programs without posing unreasonable risks to human health. While not all mosquitoes carry diseases, MDA suggests that residents take precautions to minimize their exposure to mosquito bites. These measures include:
- Wear long, loose fitting, light colored clothing
- Wear insect repellents according to product labels
- Avoid mosquito infested areas during prime periods of activity (between dusk and dawn)
- Install, inspect, and repair window and door screens in homes and stables
- Regularly clean bird baths and bowls for pet food and water
- Remove or empty all water-holding containers