WILLIAMSON COUNTY
Williamson County and Cities Health District has begun operations to manage the adult mosquito population in Taylor after two of the trapped insects tested positive for West Nile virus. The treated areas include a large swath of downtown as well as an area centered around T.H.
Johnson Drive at North Drive. Taylor Communications Director Daniel Seguin said signage was put up throughout the neighborhoods letting residents know that West Nile virus was present in the area.
”Even though they’ve done the spraying, those signs won’t come down until they receive two negative tests in a row for the virus,” he said.
The two positive West Nile virus samples were collected in Taylor July 9 and July 15.
One was collected at a trap site near North Drive at T.H.
Johnson Drive, and the other near East Third Street at Washburn Street.
The chemicals were applied on the evenings of July 18 through 20 starting at 9 p.m. If more evidence of West Nile is found after spraying, or if there is evidence of a very large mosquito population, Seguin said the county may choose to spray again.
The chemical type used in the truck-mounted sprayer was an ultra-low volume adulticide spray meant to kill mature mosquitoes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, when truck spraying is done correctly it poses minimal risk to pets, animals and the environment. The chemicals used may cause eye irritation if a person is outside when spraying takes place, so residents may choose to remain indoors during spraying and keep any pets inside as well.
“When applied with ULV equipment via truck, backpack foggers or plane, adulticides remain suspended in the air as fine aerosol droplets. These droplets kill mosquitoes on contact as they fly through the target area. A primary benefit of ULV sprays is adulticide optimization.
Very little product is necessary to treat large areas of land, typically less than one ounce per acre,” according to information on the VDCI Mosquito Management website. The city provided a link to the website on its social media page for anyone interested in learning more about the chemicals being used.
West Nile virus has also been found in mosquitoes trapped at Granger, Georgetown and Liberty Hill sites in July. WCCHD offers a public dashboard on their website that tracks mosquito surveillance results.
County health experts encourage the use of mosquito repellent when spending times outdoors even if a positive sample has not yet been collected from your area.
