The Des Plaines Valley Mosquito Abatement District will be spraying areas of Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield between the hours of 8:15 p.m. and midnight on Wednesday, Aug. 8 to help control the adult mosquito population.
District vehicles will be spraying the insecticide throughout the villages of North Riverside, Riverside east of First Avenue and the area of Brookfield around Cantata Adult Life Services (formerly the British Home). Riverside west of First Avenue and all of Brookfield residential areas were sprayed Tuesday night.
Spraying is done by the district usually as only a last resort, and was triggered this year by confirmed cases of West Nile Virus in Cook County in recent weeks.
At least three people in Cook County have contracted West Nile Virus, according to an Aug. 3 press release from the Cook County Department of Health. Between July 22 and 28, mosquito abatement district surveillance indicated the presence of West Nile Virus-carrying mosquitos in pools of water tested in 68 communities, including Brookfield, North Riverside, Broadview, LaGrange Park, LaGrange and Berwyn.
In July, the Des Plaines Valley Mosquito Abatement District website warned that the hot, dry summer has aided in the spread of mosquitos carrying the virus.
“With the heat and drought, it has meant that WNV is becoming fairly active in the area. While the number of mosquitos that can carry WNV are at about normal levels, the virus is becoming more prevalent in the mosquito population.”
The district urged property owners to clear the area of standing pools of water where mosquitos breed, make sure window screens are in good repair and for people to use mosquito repellant when outdoors, “especially at dusk.”
