Press Release -- July 15, 2015
Contact: Jose Rodriguez, Columbus Public Health, 604-5025, [email protected]
Excessive Rain and Standing Water Could Lead to Increase in Mosquitoes
Residents Asked to Help Prevent Mosquito Growth by Eliminating Standing Water
The area’s recent rainfall might lead to more than just a soggy summer. In five to ten days, it also could lead to a significant increase of mosquitos.
This summer has been one of central Ohio’s wettest ones in recent memory. In June, it rained 21 days. So far this month in July, there also has been at least trace amounts of rain on eight days. As a result, there is an excessive amount of standing water in many residents’ yards.
Standing water breeds mosquito growth. For example, just one small bottle cap of water can result in hundreds of mosquitos.
In order to prevent mosquito growth and the West Nile virus, residents are asked to continue to check their yards on a regular basis and help remove temporary pools of water around their property by clearing debris from gutters and ditches, cutting small channels to help drain pooling water, filling in holes and tire ruts with dirt, and treating rain barrels.
Prevention is the best way to avoid getting West Nile which is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito. In addition to eliminating standing water, everyone also should use insect repellant containing DEET, wear protective clothing at dawn or dusk and repair window screens in order to reduce their risk.
In addition to residents’ efforts, Columbus Public Health also practices disease control and prevention for the West Nile virus by spraying in area parks and neighborhoods. Weekly fogging schedules are based on the number of infected mosquitoes in field tests, not on the number of complaints from any given area.
For more information on West Nile and mosquito prevention, visit Columbus Public Health at publicheatlh.columbus.gov.
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