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Positive West Nile pool test in St. Mary

The LSU Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab has confirmed a West Nile positive mosquito pool in St. Mary Parish, Jessie Boudreaux of Cajun Mosquito Control said Friday in a news release.

Officials are now following the CDC Expanded Transmission Protocol measures for West Nile virus in the Bayou Vista area, the release said.
1) Residents are encouraged to wear insect repellant, preferably one containing DEET.
Always read repellant labels carefully, especially for younger children. Also, try to wear light
colored, long sleeve clothing and socks.
2) Repair or replace broken screens on windows and doors, and avoid using perfumes or
colognes.
3) Residents should remove any standing water around their homes or businesses. Clogged
rain gutters and pet water bowls can produce thousands of mosquitoes per week and
something as small as a coke can or bottle cap can produce a brood of mosquitoes. Please
remove any stagnant water.
4) Avoiding mosquitoes and their peak activity times of dusk and dawn is highly
recommended, but if one must be outside, please wear a repellant.
5) Again in 2017, West Nile virus has now been confirmed in St. Mary, Iberia, Lafayette and
St. Martin Parishes. Residents in these areas are being informed that there is a heightened
potential for encephalitis infection within any of these locations.
6) Personal protection and yard sanitation is recommended and encouraged.
7) During the evening hours ULV Truck mounted sprayers will be assigned to spray the Parish
of Saint Mary in an effort to reduce/maintain the vector population below critical levels as
noted in the CDC Expanded Protocol measures. Spraying will be conducted for three
consecutive evenings in the affected areas, storm / weather permitting.
8) The efficacy of these Truck Spraying operations will be determined through the use of
Gravid Traps that are scheduled for operation immediately following the completion of the
mosquito control activities. The number of mosquitoes collected will serve to quantify the
adult population and provide specimens to be submitted for testing at Louisiana Animal
Disease Diagnostic Lab.

ST. MARY NOW

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