West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis Found In Jefferson

JEFFERSON, NJ — Multiple bodies of water have tested positive for West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis in Jefferson, county health officials said.

Two pools tested positive for West Nile, and another two tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis, officials said. All four pools were in a "limited" area inside the Mahlon Dickerson Reservation.

The area will be treated with synthetic pyrethroid insecticides in the early morning hours, but residents are still asked to take precautions. Anyone heading outside in the area should wear bug repellent and long pants and shirts.

Residents should also take steps to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in their backyards.

Residents should always drain stagnant water in their yard, including water that gets stuck in planters, toys, birdbaths, tarps, old tires and gutters. A particularly aggressive mosquito, the Asian Tiger kind, is known to breed in spots with even a tiny bit of water, said Morris County Mosquito Division Superintendent Kristian McMorland. That variety of mosquito will bite all day long (as opposed to other kinds that only come out at dusk), and transmits viral diseases.

"If everyone would take steps around their own homes to eliminate standing water, it could make a very big difference, reducing the number of mosquitoes by many hundreds of thousands, if not millions, where you live,'' McMorland said.

For residents with pools, they should plan to open them by Memorial Day and maintain them throughout the season. If you're not planning on opening the pool, it should be closed tight to avoid becoming a breeding ground.

Here are some more steps you can take to avoid mosquitoes:

• At least once a week, empty water from flowerpots, pet food and water dishes, birdbaths, swimming pool covers, buckets, barrels, and cans.
• Check for clogged rain gutters and clean them out.
• Recycle discarded tires, and remove other items that could collect water.
• Be sure to check for containers or trash in places that may be hard to see, such as under bushes or under your home.
• Drill holes in the bottom and elevate recycling containers that are left outdoors.
• Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish like fathead minnows. Water gardens are fashionable but become major mosquito producers if they are allowed to stagnate.
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, including those that are not being used. An untended swimming pool can produce enough mosquitoes to result in neighborhood-wide complaints.
• Be aware mosquitoes may even breed in the water that collects on pool covers.
• Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or similar water-holding containers that have accumulated on your property.

In addition to steps you can take at home, the county conducts spraying along the Passaic River floodplain with helicopters, trucks, all-terrain vehicles and back-mounted sprayers, McMorland said.