Spread Of West Nile In Whitpain To Lead To Chemical Spraying

WHITPAIN TOWNSHIP, PA — The spread of West Nile Virus in Whitpain Township has led to a chemical sprayiing being scheduled to reduce the mosquito population, officials announced.

The spraying will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 22 from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

The area within the map below, where mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile, will be sprayed. It includes the area bounded by Yost Road, N. Wales Road, Lafayette Road, and W. Township Road.

Residents should consider remaining indoors, closing windows, and turning off ventilation systems during the spraying and for 30 minutes afterwards.

According to the CDC, about one in five people who are infected with West Nile develop a fever and other symptoms. About one out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness. You can reduce your risk of West Nile Virus by using insect repellent and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants to prevent mosquito bites, the CDC said.

West Nile virus appeared for the first time in Pennsylvania in birds, mosquitoes and a horse in 2000.

West Nile can cause febrile illness, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord), according to the CDC. The elderly and those already sick are those most vulnerable to the virus.

The Montgomery County Office of Public Health offers the following tips to help eliminate mosquito breeding areas:

• Mosquitoes will breed in any stagnant water that stands for five or more days
• Identify and eliminate all sources of standing water
• Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic posts or similar water holding containers
• Pay special attention to discarded tires that may have collected water
• Drill holes in the bottom of recycling container that are left outdoors
• Have clogged roof gutters cleaned on an annual basis, particularly if the leaves from surrounding trees have a tendency to block drains
• Turn over plastic wading pools when not in use
• Turn over wheelbarrows and do not allow water to stagnate in birdbaths
• Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish
• Keep swimming pools clean and chlorinated as a swimming pool that is left untended becomes a source of mosquito breeding