Update: spraying did occur on July 24 but now more spraying is scheduled for July 30 in the same areas.

Release from Chesco Health Department, 7/20/18. [The map there shows 4 spray areas, including one park, 2 residential areas, and one cemetery. As we have asked in the past, how does one “prevent” a virus? Residents of the affected area, please see Don’t Spray Me! needs your help when spraying occurs.]

West Chester, PA – The Chester County Health Department will conduct a mosquito control treatment spray in portions of Tredyffrin and Easttown Townships (see maps below). The treatment is scheduled for Tuesday, July 24th from 8:00 pm to 11:30 pm. The rain date for this event is Wednesday, July 25th from 8:00 pm to 11:30 pm.

The Chester County Health Department conducts mosquito control treatment in areas with high levels of mosquito activity and where multiple mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV). After exhausting all other available mosquito control strategies, spraying is conducted to reduce residents’ risk of WNV infection. Anyone living in an area where mosquitoes are infected with WNV is at risk, but the risk of infection is highest for people who work outside or participate in outdoor activities. Less than 1% of people infected will develop serious illness. While serious illness can occur in people of any age, people over 60 years of age, people who have received organ transplants, and people with certain medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and kidney disease are at the greatest risk for serious illness.

The Chester County Health Department uses a truck-mounted sprayer to apply .66 ounces of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved product (DeltaGard) per acre of land. The mosquito control spray becomes inactive in just a few hours or with sunshine. Sprays are conducted after sunset, when mosquitoes are most active and bees have returned to their hives. Sprayers are turned off near bodies of water and apiaries to protect aquatic life and bees. The Chester County Health Department also notifies registered beekeepers and residents who are listed as hypersensitive in a designated spray area prior to conducting a spray. People who are concerned about exposure to mosquito control products can reduce their potential for exposure by staying indoors with children and pets when their neighborhood is being sprayed….

read more at Chesco Health Department