These idiots Just Won't Listen - My County Plans to Spray for West Nile Virus with Dibrom (Naled)

[Guest guest]

Saturday, August 4, 2001, updated at 2:14AM

County takes swat at mosquitoes

Officials hope spraying will ward off West Nile

By Jeff Burlew

DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Leon County officials have decided to begin aerial spraying for mosquitoes

in an attempt to stop the spread to people of the dangerous West Nile virus

and similar illnesses.

" These diseases are rare, fortunately, " said Art , administrator of

the Leon County Health Department. " But even one case in an elderly person

of West Nile . . . is devastating. And if we can prevent it, we need to do

everything we can. "

Earlier this week, Leon County commissioners unanimously approved a measure

giving the county's Mosquito Control authority to seek aerial spraying as

soon as needed. On Friday, officials with Mosquito Control and the local

Health Department decided to ask the state to begin aerial spraying.

The spraying could begin in about two weeks, said Rutz, director of

the state Division of Agricultural Environmental Services. State officials

are ranking counties based on need, he said.

Aerial spraying has been ongoing in Liberty and Madison counties, and

Jefferson County, where the state's first case of West Nile was discovered

in a crow, is next in line, Rutz said.

Local health officials said they would give Leon County residents at least a

week's notice before aerial spraying begins. The pesticide that will be used

is called Dibrom, the brand name of a chemical called naled that's been

approved by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

described Dibrom as a " very toxic " chemical, but he said it was

diluted to a level that's considered safe for people and pets. It's been

used for years in South Florida to control mosquitoes, he said.

" We feel very comfortable that the material being used and the way it's

being used will not have adverse effects on folks, " said.

Usually conducted at night

A DC-3 twin-engine plane will drop the pesticide, Rutz said. The plane can

treat about 300 acres a minute or 40,000 acres per mission, and it typically

flies two missions a day.

Aerial spraying is usually conducted at night, but it can occur during the

day as well, Rutz said. People and pets can remain outside during spraying,

but Rutz said folks who are concerned about the chemical can simply stay

indoors.

The aerial missions would likely occur over several days, he added. The

plane could return later in the mosquito season for more applications if

needed, he said.

" This is going to be a long summer, " Gene Baker, director of local Mosquito

Control, said of eradication efforts. " We will be engaged in this until it's

cold, there's no doubt about it. "

Aerial spraying will occur around swampy areas, wetlands and other breeding

sites that are near inhabited areas, Baker said. Uninhabited areas, such as

national forest lands, will not be sprayed from above.

$60,000 for spraying

The cost for spraying could approach $60,000. Mosquito Control has already

asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse the county,

officials said.

The decision to begin the spraying came amid news that three more birds in

Leon County had tested positive for the West Nile virus. That brings the

total to seven infected birds and one horse.

Additionally, one sentinel chicken in Leon County has twice tested positive

for St. Louis encephalitis, another mosquito-borne illness. But there were

conflicting reports on whether the chicken has been confirmed with the

disease.

So far, only one human case of West Nile virus has been confirmed in

Florida. Seymore Carruthers, a 73-year-old Madison County man, is listed in

fair condition and improving at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Last week, a

9-year-old Okaloosa boy died from another mosquito-borne disease, eastern

equine encephalitis.

The viruses are transmitted from mosquitoes that have fed on infected birds

to people. Only an estimated 1 percent of people infected with West Nile

will develop serious illness, although older people are considered at

greater risk. About 20 Floridians died in two outbreaks of St. Louis

encephalitis in the 1990s. Eastern equine encephalitis typically infects

horses.

The last time aerial spraying was conducted in Leon County was the summer of

1994, when tropical storms and heavy rains brought an increase in the

mosquito population, Baker said.

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@... or (850) 599-2180.