- US cities spray pesticides to combat mosquito-borne diseases
- Mass spraying targets West Nile, EEE, and “sloth fever”
- Precautions taken to minimize public exposure to chemicals
Cities throughout America are spraying chemicals through their streets in unprecedented action in response to an increase in numerous deadly mosquito-borne illnesses.
Massachusetts, New York, Texas, and California are among the states using pesticides to combat the increasingly disease-ridden insects.
The decision follows a wave of mosquito-borne illnesses in the United States, including West Nile Virus, which hospitalized White House Covid doctor Anthony Fauci earlier this month, ‘Triple E’, a brain-swelling disease that has killed two Americans this year, and’sloth fever’, a disease transmitted from sloths to mosquitos.
Officials are spraying the streets at night, when people are less likely to be outside, to limit residents’ exposure to the chemicals, which can be toxic to breathe in or consume. The doses will also be ‘ultra-low volume’.
Other localities have taken such harsh measures, such as establishing curfews to reduce people’s exposure to mosquito bites.
This year, several Americans have died as a result of mosquito-borne illnesses, including a New Hampshire man who died of EEE earlier this month. It marked the state’s first human case in ten years.
In Massachusetts, communities in southern Worcester County and Plymouth County have taken an aggressive approach to combating mosquito-borne illness this month, after an 80-year-old Worcester County man had EEE, the state’s first human case since 2020.
EEE is an uncommon but deadly virus transmitted to humans by infected mosquito bites. It causes brain enlargement, and around 30% of those afflicted do not survive.
To combat the spread of this virus, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health will spray the pesticide Anvil 10+10 from trucks and planes overnight, beginning just after sunset and finishing early in the morning.
In addition to pesticide spraying, officials in Oxford, MA implemented a voluntary curfew, advising residents to stay indoors after 6 p.m. to avoid mosquito bites.
Officials have ordered parks to close between dark and dawn in Plymouth, Massachusetts, when mosquitos are most active.
Meanwhile, New York City, Arlington, and San Jose will deal with a different disease: West Nile virus. WNV is the major cause of mosquito-borne illness in the continental United States.
The virus usually causes little or moderate flu-like symptoms. However, approximately one in every 150 instances becomes severe and life-threatening, resulting in swelling of the brain, the membranes surrounding the brain, or the spinal cord.
New York City has had six serious instances of West Nile Virus this year. None were fatal, but the city has decided to spray pesticides in portions of Manhattan and Brooklyn to lessen the danger.
The city’s Department of Health uses trucks to spray insecticides Anvil 10+10, Duet, and MERUS 3 overnight.
Texas has reported 37 cases of West Nile Virus in 2024, more than any other US state. One of these cases proved deadly.
Arlington officials scheduled midnight pesticide spraying in specified places after three mosquitos tested positive for the virus.
Contractors will spray Aqua-Reslin, a pesticide that kills adult mosquitos, throughout Arlington.
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A citizen of Santa Clara County, California, died earlier this month from West Nile Virus, and another was hospitalized. West Nile-positive mosquitos have also been found in San Jose and the adjacent areas.
This treatment employs Zenivex E4 and Merus 3.0 insecticides, which are exceptionally powerful mosquito repellents.
All four cities will spray pesticides at ‘ultra-low volume,’ which means there will be no substantial health concerns and no one will have to migrate during the treatment.
Officials have also scheduled spraying at night, when people are less likely to be outside, to limit communities’ exposure to these toxins.
According to some studies, the danger of mosquito-borne illness in the United States is increasing as global temperatures rise and sick mosquitos expand their range.
According to Vector Disease Control International, the number of cases of Dengue Fever in the United States surged by more than 800 percent between 2021 and 2022.
In most situations, mosquito-borne infections do not kill. However, they can make an infected person seriously ill.
As mosquito-borne illnesses in the United States rise, cities may have to spray pesticides more frequently.
However, there are steps you can take to protect yourself from mosquito bites and lower your risk of disease.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests wearing loose-fitting, skin-covering clothing, using insect repellent, and installing screens on windows and doors to keep them out.
