WAVERLY, Ohio — The Village of Waverly will conduct mosquito spraying tonight from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., according to a notification posted by village officials.
Ohio Pest Control will carry out the fogging operation in conjunction with the village. Officials are advising residents with respiratory problems to close their windows and shut off window air conditioning units until the fog has fully dissipated.
The spraying comes weeks after a mosquito pool collected in Waverly on July 24 tested positive for West Nile virus, according to Ohio Department of Health testing conducted through the state’s Mosquito Control Grant Program. At the time of that finding, no human cases of West Nile virus had been reported in Pike County or elsewhere in Ohio, though state health officials said Ohio was trending slightly above its 10-year average for the virus, with infection rates in mosquitoes typically peaking in mid-to-late July.
The virus is most commonly passed to mosquitoes by birds and rodents before being transmitted to humans through mosquito bites. Most infected people show no symptoms, but health officials say severe illness develops in roughly 1 in 150 cases, with greater risk for people over 60 or with chronic health conditions. Residents are encouraged to eliminate standing water around their homes and use insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535 to reduce their risk of mosquito bites.
Tonight’s fogging is the latest in a series of mosquito spraying operations the village has carried out this season, with Ohio Pest Control previously treating the area in May and June.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Village of Waverly.
