The Milford Health Department is reminding residents to practice personal protective measures to prevent mosquito bites.
Contributed photo.The Connecticut Department of Public Health announced a second Connecticut resident has died from Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). The last season where there was a death from EEE was 2013.
“It is very important to continue to protect yourself from mosquitoes, which cause illnesses like EEE and West Nile Virus, until the first heavy frost,” said Deepa Joseph, director of Health for the Milford Health Department. “The Milford Health Department’s Mosquito Management Program will continue to monitor and apply mosquito larvicide to mosquito breeding sites throughout the City and we urge everyone to take precautions against mosquito bites and to maintain their properties so that they prevent mosquitoes from breeding.”
The primary focus of the Milford Health Department’s program is prevention through mosquito breeding site reduction efforts from April through October, especially in densely populated areas, and education about personal protection. The Milford Health Department will continue to monitor the situation and work closely with the CT Agricultural Experiment Station, which began mosquito monitoring throughout Connecticut in June. Mosquito trapping is conducted daily from June through October at 91 permanent locations throughout the state with two locations in Milford.
The Milford Health Department is reminding residents to practice personal protective measures to prevent mosquito bites as follows:
Minimize time spent outdoors at dusk and dawn.
When it is necessary to be outdoors, use a mosquito repellent that has been registered by the Environmental Protection Agency, such as DEET, Picaridin, or Oil of lemon eucalyptus and use according to the label instructions.
Wear shoes, socks, long pants, and long-sleeved shirts.
Be sure door and window screens are tight fitting and in good repair.
Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors.
Cover infant carriers with mosquito netting.
Take precautions to reduce mosquito activity around your home by:
Disposing of water-holding containers, such as ceramic pots, used tires, etc. outside the house.
Drilling holes in the bottom of containers such as those used for recycling to keep them drained.
Cleaning clogged roof gutters.
Turning over objects that may trap water when not in use such as wading pools and wheelbarrows.
Changing water in birdbaths on a weekly basis.
Cleaning and chlorinating swimming pools, and covering the pool when not in use.
Using landscaping to eliminate areas where water can collect on your property.
For more information about our Mosquito Management Program, EEE or West Nile Virus, call the Health Department at 203-783-3314 or visit ci.milford.ct.us/health-department.