Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 6:05 PM
Subject: Fwd: In Response to Your Concerns of Mosquitoes
As
promised at Bates & Bloomingdale Civic Association meetings, please
find attached a response from the Department of Health regarding measures the
District is/will take to address the Zika virus. Please share with the
community. There are related documents attached. In addition here's a link to a
related Washington Post article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-department-of-health-plans-to-distribute-zika-virus-prevention-kits/2016/05/05/8ed82d48-130a-11e6-93ae-50921721165d_story.html?postshare=5661462997710552&tid=ss_tw-bottom
Best,
Teri
Janine Quinn
President, Bloomingdale Civic Association
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Richardson, Shakira
(DOH)" <shakira.richardson@dc.gov>To: "Quinn, Teri Janine (SMD 5E06)" <5E06@anc.dc.gov>
Subject: In Response to Your Concerns of Mosquitoes
Good Afternoon,
Thank you for your questions and
concerns surrounding mosquitoes in the District. At this time, the DC
Department of Health (DOH) has reviewed its Arbor Virus surveillance program
protocols, which currently tests for the West Nile Virus carried by
mosquitoes. Measures have been taken to include testing for the Zika
Virus in the mosquito population, as well as, several other viruses that the
mosquito is the known zoonotic vector. The surveillance program will also
be extending this year to include surveillance of mosquitoes from April through
October 2016.
The benefit of extending the
surveillance period is to provide a more comprehensive Arbor Virus Surveillance
Program that will provide valuable data regarding the prevalence of diseases
within the District that are transmitted through mosquitoes to humans.
Mosquitoes are typically active beginning in April and are found in the adult
stage through the end of October (or until the first hard frost).
The District surveillance program is
designed to evaluate all mosquito species acting as vectors for zoonotic
diseases including aedes aegyptus. Attached above is the most updated
information regarding the District’s surveillance program and educational
information in reference to mosquitoes.
Additional Background
In addition, the District is
assembling a more comprehensive mosquito control program with the use of
mosquito larvacide. Additional sites of larvicide application and routine
treatment of these sites will be executed by the vector control team to include
know areas of concern with regard to standing water. Furthermore, DOH has
developed a program, which will provide residents the opportunity to acquire
larvicide and literature explaining mosquito prevention and protection which
will become available during the spring season 2016 at designated
public/community areas (attached above).
Please note that the application
of larvicide targets the mosquito larval stage of the life cycle in an effort
to prevent its development into a mature adult mosquito. The District
does not spray against adult mosquitoes because many of the pesticides used for
this purpose are highly detrimental and toxic to the health of many of our
asthmatic residents and can create respiratory conditions within the human
population. In addition, many pesticides are detrimental to animals,
plants and insects that are not intended targets and that are vital to our
ecosystem. It is recommended that residents rid their properties of standing
water to eliminate mosquito breeding sites which will remove the incentive for
the pests to hang around. Please forward the addresses where you have noticed
standing water so that an investigator can complete a site visit and assess.
If you have any other questions or concerns Please feel free to contact
me directly.
Shakira Richardson
Investigator,
Government
of the District of Columbia
Dept.
of Health/Bureau of Community Hygiene
Animal
Services Program
Board
of Veterinary Medicine
899
North Capitol St. NE 2nd Floor
Washington
DC 20002
(202)
535-2321 office
(202)
442-4817 fax
www.DOH.DC.GOV
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