July 16, 2024. Reno/Sparks, Nev. – Northern Nevada Public Health (NNPH) is organizing a helicopter mosquito treatment that is scheduled to occur Wednesday, July 17, in Washoe County.
The aerial application will treat wetlands and other known mosquito habitats in the Reno/Sparks area. People recreating may see a helicopter dispensing an environmentally-friendly treatment, which consists of small pellets (not a liquid spray) designed to target mosquito larvae and prevent them from becoming biting adults that transmit diseases like West Nile virus (WNV) and others.
WNV is an illness that can cause headache, high fever, stiff neck, disorientation, coma, tremors, paralysis, and death. Find more information at this link.
As a general precaution, those recreating near wetlands and other areas with mosquitos should take precautions, such as wearing loose-fitting clothing (pants and long-sleeved shirts), using insect repellant, and understanding that mosquitos are most active during morning and evening hours.
While Clark County has reported several cases of WNV in Clark County, no mosquito pools or human cases have been identified in Washoe County.
Check NNPH’s Vector-Borne Disease Prevention website for more information on mosquito treatment, source reduction, preventative measures, and other updates.
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Please note the Washoe County Health District changed its name to Northern Nevada Public Health on Aug. 31, 2023. More information is here.
Northern Nevada Public Health (NNPH) is nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board and has jurisdiction over all public health matters in Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County through the policy-making District Board of Health. NNPH consists of five divisions: Administrative Health Services, Air Quality Management, Community and Clinical Health Services, Environmental Health Services and Epidemiology & Public Health Preparedness. More info can be found here.