VALHALLA – Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino announced the county’s plan to protect residents from the potential of Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases.
Astorino said on Thursday there have been no locally acquired cases of Zika in Westchester but he wanted to assure residents that the county is “working diligently” to address the virus.
Among the plans are to give residents free minnows to eat mosquito larvae in their backyard ponds and water features; applying larvacide to catch basins on county and municipal roads; doubling the number of mosquito trap sites and adding a new type of trap to attract the mosquitoes that could transmit Zika; and targeting areas for ground spraying should a locally acquired case by confirmed or nearby mosquitoes test positive for the virus.
County Health Commissioner Dr. Shelita Amler said the best way for pregnant women to avoid exposure and the danger to their developing fetus is to avoid travel to areas where Zika is present. She also suggested the moms-to-be should use EPA-registered insect repellents when outdoors, and to follow the label instructions. They should also cover exposed skin by wearing long-sleeve shirts, long pants and socks, and not to sleep with windows open unless they have screens.
The health department is giving away the free minnows and larvacide tablets for birdbaths, planter drip traps, rain barrels and unused pools from now through Saturday. Weekend hours are from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Building 2 in Westchester County Airport on Loop Road.
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