By: Sharon Aron Baron
A portion of the City of Tamarac along with four other municipalities will be receiving a preventative spray treatment to reduce mosquitos and their breeding sites.
In a news conference today, Broward County Mayor Marty Kiar announced the latest proactive measures, particularly in reducing the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which carries the Zika virus. As a preventive measure, aerial larviciding will be conducted over portions of five cities and the Broward Municipal Services District Central County next week.
The Mosquito Control Section will be performing a preventive spray on Monday, September 12, 2016. The spraying is for mosquito larvae in sections of Tamarac, Margate, Pembroke Pines, Hollywood, Hallandale Beach and Broward Municipal Services District Central County, weather permitting, between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. and will be performed via helicopter.
In Tamarac, the area is bounded by:
-McNab Road to the north
-Commercial Boulevard to the south
-University Drive to the east
-Pine Island Road to the west
In Margate, the spray boundaries are:
-Atlantic Boulevard to the north
-Southgate Boulevard to the south
-State Road 7 to the east
-NW 80th Terrace to the west
In Pembroke Pines and Hollywood, the area is bounded by:
-Pines Boulevard to the north
-Pembroke Road to the south
-S 63rd Avenue to the east
-SW 72nd Avenue to the west
In Hallandale Beach, the spray boundaries are:
-Pembroke Road to the north
-SW 11th Street to the south
-NW 8th Avenue to the east
-I-95 to the west
And in Broward Municipal Services District, the area is generally bounded by:
-NW 13th Street to the north
-Broward Boulevard to the south
-NW 24th Avenue and NW 27th Avenue to the east
-NW 31st Avenue to the west
The aerial spraying is a proactive measure. These areas were chosen based on a number of factors, including requests from the Florida Department of Health, population density, and the number of women of child-bearing age in the community.
The Florida Department of Health still reports no active local transmission of the Zika virus in Broward County, and no active investigations. The one confirmed case in Broward was closed by the Department of Health, and it was determined no one else was infected.
The mosquito larvicide to be used is VectoBac WDG. The active ingredient is Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti, strain AM65-52), a naturally occurring, biodegradable bacterial mosquito larvicide which is not harmful to humans, pets, bees, aquatic habitats or environmentally sensitive areas. It’s certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) and is registered for use by the US Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, VectoBac WDG has been reviewed by the World Health Organization and is listed as a recommended formulation for control of mosquito larvae.
As a precautionary measure, residents with breathing difficulties should remain indoors. Persons living in the area who have registered with the State to be alerted prior to spraying have been notified.
In addition to this aerial larvicide spraying, the Broward County Mosquito Control Section continues to work closely with the Florida Department of Health and Code Enforcement partners in Broward’s 31 municipalities to eliminate mosquitoes and their habitats by doing the following:
Broward County Mosquito Control Section also treats areas of the County based on requests received from residents. To request service online, complete the Mosquito Spray Request Form. Requests can also be made by calling 954-765-4062.
Mayor Kiar said, “Residents are the first line of defense when it comes to combatting any mosquito. We encourage all residents and business owners to survey their property and remove any standing water, and any vessels that can hold standing water, such as flower pots, pet bowls, children’s toys, bottle caps, etc.” He added, “The Broward County Commission is committed to using whatever resources are necessary to prevent Zika from spreading in our community.”
For more information on what you can do to protect your property and yourselves, visit www.broward.org/zapzika. You can also follow them on Twitter @BrowardCounty, using #ZapZikaBroward.
