Southeast Kansas mosquito study completed

A team of entomologists from the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources has completed an assessment of the impact of mosquitoes following flooding that occurred in Southeast Kansas last month.

The assessment was conducted to determine the risk to human health due to the existing and anticipated abundance of mosquitoes related to both seasonal occurrence and increased pooling of waters. The entomologists were also asked to assist in determining estimated prevalence of disease and the risks and benefits of controlling mosquitoes with insecticides, if needed, a Kansas Department of Health and Environment statement said.

The intensive monitoring in Elk, Neosho, Wilson and Montgomery counties confirmed that those counties have an abundance of mosquitoes this year. The species of mosquitoes identified in largest numbers are chiefly nuisance mosquitoes rather than the disease-carrying type, the KDHE statement said.

Disease-carrying mosquitoes captured in the monitored area were submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) laboratory, where West Nile Virus was detected among the samples in Neosho, Wilson and Montgomery counties. None of the samples submitted to the CDC were found to have Western Equine Encephalitis or St. Louis Encephalitis, two other mosquito-borne illnesses seen in Kansas.

"This is an expected finding in Kansas," state epidemiologist Gail Hansen said. "The virus does not appear to be any more common than in previous years of testing in Southeast Kansas or in other areas of the state. However, since we are at the height of the West Nile Virus season, we continue to urge people to do what they can to keep from getting bitten by a disease-carrying mosquito."

Disease-carrying mosquitoes are likely to reproduce in standing water, particularly where there is organic material present. Continued vigilance of protecting oneself from mosquito bites and preventing mosquito habitats are critical to curbing the spread of West Nile Virus.

KDHE and the Montgomery County Health Department recommend the following precautions to protect against mosquito-spread diseases:

* Use effective insect repellent with picaridin or DEET on skin.

* Wear protective clothing when practical (long sleeves and pants).

* Remove standing water.

* Use larvicide containing bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) in water that cannot be removed, following manufacturer's instructions.

* Refresh water for bird baths, pet bowls, and wading pools at least every three days.

* Limit outdoor activities at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.

Neighborhood teams can help find sources of standing water that might otherwise be missed and help disabled or elderly neighbors clear sources of standing water such as cleaning out rain gutters and removing containers with water and debris from yards and alleyways.

Spraying with ultra-low volume pesticides may reduce the number of adult mosquito populations for a brief period of time in the sprayed area, but it will not effectively break the life cycle of the mosquito population. An integrated approach must include removing the breeding grounds by eliminating sources of standing, stagnant or contained water and adding larvicide to larger bodies of water that cannot be reasonable drained using bacterial-based compounds such as those with Bti. Residents should also keep water circulating or replaced in swimming pools, bird baths, animal troughs and watering containers, the KDHE statement said.