During the summer months, Long Beach residents will be enjoying the outdoors with backyard barbecues and trips to parks and beaches. Warmer weather creates an ideal environment for some uninvited guests – mosquitoes.
Although no West Nile virus activity has been detected in Long Beach this year, virus-positive mosquitoes have been detected in nearby Los Angeles.
With that in mind, Long Beach City Health Officer Dr. Mitchell Kushner is urging residents to protect themselves from mosquitoes over the upcoming summer months by taking some simple precautions:
Avoid mosquito-infested areas, especially at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active.
Mosquitoes breed in standing water. Eliminate standing water on your property by dumping or draining water in neglected ponds, birdbaths, fountains, buckets, old tires or anything that can hold water. Dumping or draining water interrupts the mosquito life cycle.
Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants if you plan to be outdoors at dawn or dusk.
Use mosquito repellant containing DEET, Picaridin, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus. Residents should follow instructions on the label. Consult with your child’s pediatrician for appropriate concentrations of DEET to be used on children under the age of 2.
Keep tight-fitting screens on doors and windows to prevent mosquitoes from entering homes and check to make sure your window screens are in good condition.
Clean and chlorinate swimming pools and drain water from pool covers.
Limit the watering of lawns and outdoor plants to twice a week to avoid runoff to gutters and around sprinklers. Report dead birds and dead tree squirrels to the California Department of Public Health by calling 1-877-WNV-Bird or at westnile.ca.gov.
For further information, contact the Long Beach Health Department, Vector Control Program, at 562-570-4132 or online at longbeach.gov/health and click on “West Nile Virus,” or go to the Facebook page at facebook.com/lbdhhs.
Additional information about West Nile virus also may be obtained at the California Department of Public Health website at westnile.ca.gov or at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile.
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the city of Long Beach.
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