Mosquito Spraying Planned In Campbell, San Jose

CAMPBELL, CA — The County of Santa Clara Vector Control District plans to spray for mosquitoes in Campbell and San Jose next Tuesday after mosquitoes positive for West Nile Virus were found in the area.

The treatments will start at 10 p.m. and should be finished in two to four hours.

Related: 1 Dead, 1 Recovering From West Nile Virus In Santa Clara County

The spraying will take place in the following zip codes:

• 95008
• 95070
• 95117
• 95129
• 95130

According to vector control, "Those who would like to take extra precautions can keep family members and pets inside during the treatment, with windows and doors shut. In the morning, the pesticide quickly breaks down when exposed to sunlight. Since the district applies pesticides at ultra-low volume (ULV), individuals aren’t likely to breathe or touch anything that has enough pesticide on it to be harmful. All pesticides used in our adult-mosquito-control program are approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for use in public areas and are widely used by vector control agencies throughout California."

If you have concerns about the spraying, vector control staff are available to answer questions from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, on the agency’s dedicated West Nile Virus Hotline at 408-282-3114. Questions may also be submitted by email to vectorinfo@cep.sccgov.org.

The district has a surveillance program to detect the presence of diseases like West Nile virus, St. Louis encephalitis and western equine encephalitis, all of which are transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes.

All residents are asked to help stop the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses by doing the following:

• Inspect for standing water on a weekly basis.
• Drain or turn over anything that can hold water, such as flowerpots, planter bases, pet dishes, buckets and old tires.
• Clean items like bird baths and pet bowls once a week to remove any mosquito eggs.
• Clear debris from rain gutters on a regular basis to allow water to flow.
• Properly screen rain barrels, cisterns and irrigation drains to prevent mosquito access.
• Fix leaky water faucets and broken sprinkler heads and avoid overwatering lawns and plants.
• Ensure window and door screens are in good condition with no holes or tears and are tight-fitting.
• Ensure swimming-pool water level is adequate for proper circulation and filtration.
• Free mosquitofish can be requested online for placement in neglected pools/spas, ornamental ponds, water troughs and other artificial bodies of water. For more information on our mosquitofish program, visit vector.santaclaracounty.gov/mosquitofish.

Symptoms of West Nile Virus include fever, headaches, body aches and, in severe cases, significant neurological damage or death. People with diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, kidney disease and the elderly are most at risk for serious complications.

WNV deaths have been reported this year in Santa Clara and Contra Costa counties.

Since West Nile arrived in California in 2003, more than 8,000 people across the state have contracted the disease, with close to 400 of those cases fatal. 2015 holds the record for California fatalities with 53.