New Mosquito Education Materials

Health Department Publishes New Mosquito Education Material
Mosquito Awareness Week is June 25 - July 1, 2006

June 20, 2006

The Health Department has published new public education materials for the 2006 mosquito season to augment its extensive, multi-faceted “Fight the Bite: Say NO to MOsquitoes” West Nile virus (WNV) and mosquito management public education campaign. The campaign will be showcased during Mosquito Awareness Week, June 25-July 1.

Mosquito Awareness Week June 25-July 1.

The “Fight the Bite” campaign will be showcased during Mosquito Awareness Week, June 25 - July 1 2006, which will be proclaimed in Fairfax County by the Board of Supervisors at their June 26 meeting. Mosquito Awareness Week is sponsored by the American Mosquito Control Association, the Metropolitan-Washington Council of Governments as well as the Health Department.

New Materials Available.

Public education materials in Urdu and Farsi are now included in the Health Department’s “Fight the Bite: Say NO to MOsquitoes” campaign. Materials also are available in English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese. All materials can be downloaded from the “Fight the Bite” Web site.

A new 18-month calendar for the years 2006-2007 is now available from the Health Department. It contains comprehensive information on WNV prevention and mosquito management. The calendar, in its second printing, now prominently features tick and Lyme disease educational information. Instructions on how to obtain a calendar are located on the West Nile information web page.

Health Department’s West Nile Virus Prevention Measures.

The Health Department's multi-faceted 2006 program against WNV has been in full swing for months. Prevention measures include treating mosquito breeding sites with an environmentally friendly larvicide; tracking and surveillance of WNV in mosquito and bird populations; and educating residents about the disease, how to manage mosquitoes and protect themselves from bites using approved insect repellents.

Dead Bird Surveillance Continues.

Residents are being asked to report dead birds to the Health Department to help with the county's ongoing surveillance and tracking of WNV. Infected mosquitoes are known to spread the virus to wild birds, other animals, and sometimes humans during mosquito season, which typically runs from May until October. Dead birds can be reported by phone at 703-246-2300, TTY 703-591-6435; by e-mail ; or by a Web-based reporting form.

For More Information:

Residents may call the Health Department’s Disease Carrying Insect Program at 703-246-2300, TTY 703-591-6435 for more information.

To request this information in an alternate format, call the Health Department at 703-246-2411 or TTY 703-591-6435.