70° and Overcast
Image
The Anne Arundel County Department of Health announced Thursday that mosquituitos trapped in Crofton tested positive for the West Nile Virus. A stock photo of a mosquito is shown above. (Shutterstock)
CROFTON, MD — Mosquituitos trapped in Crofton tested positive for the West Nile Virus. The Anne Arundel County Department of Health announced the news Thursday, noting that there have not yet been any human cases in the county.
The mosquito pools were found in two areas near the intersection of Crain Highway and Davidsonville Road.
Communities in the affected area include Amberfield, Lake Louise and the Northwest Crofton Community District.
Containing The Mosquitoes
The Maryland Department of Agriculture will spray a solution where the mosquito pools were found. The department’s Mosquito Control Program will use 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.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture recommends staying inside during spraying, which is scheduled for Sunday after 7:30 p.m.
The mosquitoes that tested positive were trapped on July 11.
Anybody with questions about the spraying should visit this webpage from the Maryland Department of Agriculture or call the Mosquito Control Program at (410) 841-5870.
This map shows the area where the mosquitoes were trapped.
About West Nile Virus
Mosquitoes can get infected with West Nile Virus when they bite infected birds. Infected mosquitoes can then spread the virus by biting humans or animals.
Most people exposed to the virus never get sick, but roughly 20 percent get symptoms like headaches, fevers, muscle and joint aches, nausea and fatigue.
Warm weather and high humidity are ideal conditions for mosquitoes and West Nile Virus transmission.
Health officials shared these tips to stay safe from mosquito bites:
- Minimize time spent outdoors between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
- Be sure door and window screens are tight-fitting and in good repair.
- Remove standing water. Emptying out water that collects in toys, tires, trash cans, buckets, clogged rain gutters and plant pots will prevent mosquitoes a place to lay their eggs and reproduce.
- Keep all swimming pools chlorinated and filtered. Backyard ponds should include fish to control mosquito larvae.
- Consider using EPA-registered repellent such as those containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol or 2-undecanone.
- Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors or in an unscreened structure and to protect infants when outdoors.
- Wear long, loose fitting, light colored clothing.
- Regularly clean bird baths and bowls for pet food and water.
Marylanders can follow @MdAgDept on Twitter to monitor unscheduled spray events and timely mosquito control information. Routine spray schedules are available by county on the program's website.
More News from Edgewater
- Anne Arundel County Announces $8M Effort To Restore Eroding Jabez Branch Large portions of Jabez Branch have become unstable, resulting in sediment, debris, and pollutants getting washed into the Severn River with every rain.
- Anne Arundel Schools Receive Top Scores For Exemplary Maintenance Standards Anne Arundel County schools achieved an overall score of 75.51% in the annual IAC report on school maintenance - the highest among Maryland school districts.
