FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Broward County officials asked residents with “breathing difficulties” to “remain indoors” in areas where a mosquito control program team was set to be aerial spraying an insecticide.
The early morning spraying was planned for areas of Southwest Ranches, Davie, and Pembroke Pines, officials reported. Aside from using planes, the team, based out of North Perry Airport has also been hard at work with backpacks and trucks after the deluge on April 12.
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The insecticide sprayed, also known as an adulticide, kills the pesky disease-carrying flies without harming people, pets, or the environment, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Amid the risks, crews have also distributed a network of surveillance traps.
The bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito can spread diseases such as the Zika virus, West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, dengue, and malaria, according to the CDC, which collaborates with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on mosquito control methodology nationwide.
For more information about adulticide used to kill mosquitoes, visit The National Pesticide Information Center’s page or call 1-800-858-7378. To request service from the county’s team, officials are asking residents to visit this page or fill out the Mosquito Service Request Form. For more information, call 311 or visit this page.
Here is a map of the area:
Here is what the CDC recommends:
- Use EPA-registered insect repellents with DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, or 2-undecanoic. Children younger than 3 years old should avoid oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-menthane-diol and apply sunscreen first and insect repellent second.
- Dress your child in clothing that covers arms and legs, and use netting to cover strollers and baby carriers
- Wear loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and pants
- Use 0.5% permethrin to treat clothing and gear such as boots, pants, socks, and tents, or buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear. Do not use permethrin products directly on the skin.
- Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out items that hold water, such as tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpots, or trash containers.
- Use air conditioning and screens on windows and doors. Repair holes in screens to keep mosquitoes outdoors.
- Sleep under a mosquito net if you live without screens or air conditioning. Choose a mosquito net that is compact, white, and with 156 holes per square inch. Permethrin-treated mosquito nets provide more protection than untreated nets. Tuck the netting under the crib mattress or select a mosquito net long enough to touch the floor. Pull the net tightly to avoid choking hazards for young children. Check for holes or tears in the net where mosquitoes can enter. Do not hang the net near any candles, cigarettes, or open fires, as it can catch on fire, and do not sleep directly against the net, as mosquitoes can still bite through holes in the net.
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