© Stephen Doggett, Ph.D
Nashville Metro Public Health Department officials announced on June 28 that a batch of mosquitoes recently collected by the Department’s Pest Management Division have tested positive for West Nile virus. Pest Management staff captured the mosquitoes at a trap near the intersection of Bell Road and Anderson Road in Southeast Nashville. There have been no human cases reported.
The Health Department’s Pest Management staff sends fliers to residences in the impacted areas with steps to protect against biting mosquitoes and to take steps to reduce standing water where mosquitoes can lay eggs. This is in addition to Pest Management revisiting these areas and setting additional traps, monitoring areas of standing water, and applying larvicide if mosquito larvae are present. The Health Department does not spray to kill adult mosquitoes.
The Health Department began trapping mosquitoes in May and sending them to be tested at the Tennessee Department of Health’s lab.
Source: Nashville.gov