Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Recent lab reports confirm that West Nile Virus has been detected in Culex mosquitoes found in the Inskip area of Knoxville.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Knox County Health Department (KCHD) plan to spray for mosquitoes in the area on Thursday, July 27 from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. to reduce the Culex mosquito population. A map of the roads in the area that will be treated can be viewed below:
To reduce the risk of contracting WNV, the KCHD recommends:
- Applying repellants to skin often when outdoors; repellants can be lotions, liquids or sprays. The CDC recommends the use of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)- registered repellants containing one of the following ingredients: DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, paramenthane-diol, 2-undecanone or IR3535. The duration of protection varies by repellant. Read labels on products to determine when reapplications are necessary for optimal protection.
- Wearing socks and long, loose, and light-colored shirts and pants.
- Treating clothing with permethrin or purchasing pretreated permethrin clothing.
- Disposing of, regularly emptying, or turning over any water-holding containers on your property such as tires, cans, flower pots, children’s toys and trash cans to reduce mosquito habitats.
- Using larvicides, such as mosquito torpedoes or mosquito dunks, to prevent mosquito proliferation in large water-holding containers, including bird baths and garden water features. If used properly, larvicides will not harm animals.
