NEW ORLEANS – The City of New Orleans Mosquito and Termite Control Board (NOMTRCB) reports that mosquitoes collected from the East Bank of Orleans Parish tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV) this week.
WNV alternates between wild birds and mosquitoes and can be transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. No human cases of WNV have been reported in Orleans Parish.
NOMTRCB urges people to protect themselves from mosquito bites and empty water-filled containers throughout the home to reduce potential mosquito breeding grounds. Tonight truck applications will be carried out against Culex quinquefasciatus, the “house mosquito of the south”, the main carrier of the West Nile virus in our region. Treatment will be provided in the area bounded by Harrison Avenue, Wisner Boulevard, Lakeshore Drive, and West End Boulevard. The treatments take place from 8:15 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. when the weather is nice.
While most West Nile virus infections are asymptomatic, the most common symptoms of West Nile fever are headache, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. In rare cases, the virus can cause serious symptoms, especially in people over 65 years of age or older, or in people with immunodeficiency.
NOMTRCB urges New Orleans residents to protect themselves from the West Nile virus by avoiding mosquito bites. Mosquito bites can be avoided by restricting outdoor activities between dusk and dawn, using EPA-approved insect repellants, reducing the number of mosquitos in the home, and making your homes mosquito-proof by installing fly screens on windows and doors.
With the heavy rainfall this summer, it’s important for residents to continue removing stagnant water by emptying containers and changing water in non-removable containers such as bird baths, sugar kettles, pools and ponds every week. It takes seven days for mosquitoes to grow from eggs to adults. So it is important to check your garden every week. Remove trash and clutter, including tires, buckets, tarps, and any other items that could collect water. Make sure swimming pools and fountains are working and that the water is circulating.
For more information on West Nile Virus, visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/prevention.htm.
SAFETY TIPS
Protect yourself
- Limit outdoor activities between dusk and dawn.
- Use air conditioning and make sure window and door grilles don’t have holes to keep mosquitoes out.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants if you are outside for long periods of time.
- Use insect repellants with EPA-registered ingredients like DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or lemon eucalyptus oil.
- When using insect repellant, always follow the recommendations on the product label.
Protect your home
- Eliminate standing water around your home.
- Remove trash and clutter, and dispose of discarded tires and containers that can hold water. Turn over paddling pools, buckets, trash cans, children’s toys, or anything that could collect water.
- Change the water in containers that cannot be removed, such as a cup of water, every week. B. animal bowls or bird baths. Scrub the side of the containers with soap and a sponge to remove any eggs.
- Rain barrels and other water collection devices must be sieved and the collected water should be used within a week.
- Ventilate ornamental pools, fountains, and sugar kettles, or stock them with fish.
- Report illegal dumping, water leaks and unattended swimming pools by calling 311.
- Call 311 or email Moskitocontrol@nola.gov to report mosquito problems.
The tires can easily be filled with water by rain and collect leaf litter, which is an ideal breeding ground for mosquito larvae.
- The tires can easily be filled with rainwater and collect leaves and waste, which provides ideal breeding conditions for mosquito larvae. Removing scrap tires will eliminate a productive mosquito habitat.
- Residents can call 311 to request a bulky waste pickup of up to four tires. Tires should be stacked on the side of the road next to the city-issued dumpsters.
- Tires in front of abandoned properties, uninhabited properties or shops cannot and will not be picked up. This issue is currently being addressed through city-coordinated, collaborative treatment and removal efforts
Follow NOMTRCB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @nolamosquito.
Residents are encouraged to contact NOMTCB at (504) 658-2400 or Moskitocontrol@nola.gov with any other questions or concerns about mosquitoes.
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