Attention given to the Zika virus is affecting the Fayette County Health Department’s summer mosquito control program. Health Department trucks will take to Lexington streets in the early hours overnight in June.
Environmental Health Supervisor Luke Mathias says routes could be modified during the spray season. “If we do find areas that we find a lot of stagnant water, we may adjust the spray areas to be a little bit closer to certain roads, certain streets,” noted Mathias.
Mathias says the type of mosquito that carries the Zika virus is found in Central Kentucky. But, no cases related to local mosquito transmission have been reported anywhere in the state.
In addition to spraying, Environmental Health Supervisor Luke Mathias says crews are now looking for spots where mosquitos might breed. “We have stepped up especially our larvicide efforts, as far as public education,” explained Mathias. “Getting out, trying to identify problems, trying to let people know what to look for, so they’re not breeding mosquitos on their properties, in their yards.”
Mathias says the key is to eliminate standing, stagnant water, often found in containers or tires. ?
