COLUMBUS – Columbus will begin spraying for mosquitoes in the Linden area after a pool tested positive for West Nile virus, according to health officials, the first positive test inside the Columbus city limits this summer.
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The mosquitoes were collected last week and tested by the Ohio Department of Health, which reported the results Tuesday morning.
“Our concern is the steady rain we have had in the past two weeks,” said Jose Rodriguez, spokesman for Columbus Public Health. “Some of the heavy rains can flush away (mosquito larvae), and that helps. But the steady rain is causing standing water all over the place,” in which mosquitoes can breed.
The areas to be sprayed include areas of North Linden bounded by E Weber Road, Attwood Terrace, E. Hudson Street and I-71. A second neighborhood is bounded by Carbone Drive on the north, Karl Road on the east, Northridge Road on the south and I-71 on the west, Rodriguez said.
Also scheduled for spraying are two areas of the Northwest Side. One are extends from Bahamas Drive south to Peak Ridge Drive and from I-270 west to Alum Creek. The other neighborhood is bounded on the north by Marcella Drive, by Big Walnut Creek on the south, on the east by Blendon Woods Metro Park and by Walnut View Boulevard on the west, Rodriguez said.
“Residents can help our community by eliminating standing water such as bird baths and baby pools where mosquitoes lay their eggs. Using insect repellant, wearing protective clothing at dawn or dusk, repairing window screens, are important ways we can all protect ourselves,” said Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Teresa Long.
West Nile virus was confirmed in mosquitoes in early June in Grandview Heights. After that discovery, Franklin County Public Health sent out spray trucks to communities across the county. A couple of weeks ago, a second pool — this one in Clinton Township — tested positive for the virus.
County health spokeswoman Mitzi Kline said the rain has officials concerned there, too.
“Our mosquito complaint numbers have skyrocketed,” she said. “People say they are getting eaten alive.”
County officials will be spraying in Dublin after regular mosquito trapping revealed high numbers of the insect in the north sections of the city, said Lindsay Weisenauer, Dublin’s senior public information officer.
West Nile Virus testing is not complete, but Franklin County Public Health plans to spray the area starting at 9:00 p.m. Thursday as a precaution, Weisenauer said.
The spray area (see map) includes Dublin neighborhoods north of Brand Road, from Hyland Croy Road to the west side of the Scioto River, Weisenauer said.
County officials say they will also be spraying Thursday in Urbancrest and on the west side of Whitehall.
West Nile virus is transmitted to humans and animals through a bite from a mosquito which became infected by feeding on infected birds.
Most individuals who are infected with West Nile will not experience any illness, though people 50 years of age and older have a higher chance of getting sick and are more likely to develop serious symptoms, Rodriguez said.