Arlington Orders Emergency Ground Spraying Following Positive West Nile Virus Tests

Arlington, Texas, began targeted mosquito spraying after Tarrant County Public Health reported a mosquito-trap sample positive for West Nile virus Aug. 25. Contractors are scheduled to spray within a half-mile of Park Hill Drive and Mossy Oak Street from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Aug. 25 and 26, weather permitting. The treatment uses an ultra-low-volume, water-based permethrin product to reduce infected adult mosquitoes and prevent human infections. Arlington’s mosquito program traps from May through October, with weekly samples tested for West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis viruses. The city says spraying normally follows three consecutive positive weeks, but may occur sooner when factors such as high mosquito abundance, proximity to a human case, nighttime events or high infection rates warrant action. The city says EPA determined its permethrin product does not pose an unreasonable human-health risk when used as directed. No human infection was reported in the announcement.