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AUBURN, Mass. – The weekly mosquito spraying in Auburn will continue on Thursday night at Auburn High School, Julia Bancroft Elementary School, Pappas Recreation Complex and Lemansky Park.
Auburn was recently elevated to a “High Risk” community for exposure to mosquito borne diseases, specifically West Nile Virus. This elevated risk status resulted from a human case of West Nile Virus in Worcester and three sample pools of West Nile virus mosquitos trapped within Auburn.
The town of Auburn and the school district is “trying to stay proactive” by spraying on Thursday night and on a weekly basis, according to Superintendent of Schools Maryellen Brunelle.
Auburn is working with the Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control to schedule weekly spraying of these fields until after the first hard frost.
In August, West Nile Virus was detected in mosquitoes collected from the Pakachoag Hill and Heard Street areas of Auburn. The Health Department said it’s important to note that no human cases have been identified in Auburn.
Auburn has performed spraying to kill mosquitoes in the Pakachoag Hill and Heard Street areas.
Town officials listed common-sense precautions that people can take to protect themselves from mosquito exposure:
- The hours from dusk to dawn are peak biting times for many mosquitoes. Consider rescheduling outdoor activities that occur during evening or early morning. If you are outdoors at any time and notice mosquitoes around you, take steps to avoid being bitten by moving indoors, covering up and wearing repellent.
- Clothing can help reduce mosquito bites. Although it may be difficult to do when it’s hot, wearing long-sleeves, long pants and socks when outdoors will help keep mosquitoes away from your skin.
- Apply insect repellent when you go outdoors. Use a repellent with DEET, permethrin, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus. DEET products should not be used on infants younger than 2 months and should be used in concentrations of only 30 percent or less on older children. Oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children younger than 3 years.
- Many mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Limit the number of places around your home for mosquitoes to breed by either draining or getting rid of items that hold water. Check rain gutters and drains. Empty unused flowerpots and wading pools, and change water in birdbaths frequently.
- Some mosquitoes like to come indoors. Keep them outside by having tight-fitting screens on all windows and doors.
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