County health officials will hand spray part of Normal Heights this week after an individual tested positive for Zika virus after returning from a trip abroad.
The Normal Heights resident recently returned from a trip to a country where tropical, mosquito-borne illnesses, including the Zika virus, are active. The individual developed symptoms after returning home.
The case was confirmed after testing at the San Diego County Public Health Laboratory came back positive. The case was not acquired in the U.S.
The individual lives in the Adams North area of Normal Heights.
When County Vector Control inspectors visited the individual's home, they found Aedes mosquito larvae and adult mosquitoes nearby.
If the Aedes mosquitoes were exposed to the virus, they could spread it to others. No infected Aedes mosquitoes have ever been found in San Diego County or California.
“It’s really important for people to inspect in and around their homes and dump out any standing water that can give these mosquitoes places to multiply," said Rebecca Lafreniere, Deputy Director, Department of Environmental Health, in a statement.
Local
This Friday, County officials plan to hand spray and area west of Interstate 15, north of Adams Avenue, east of 36th Street and South of Alexia Place. Officials will be going door-to-door this week, leaving notifications for residents to inform them of where the spraying will occur.
When spraying, the County will not use naled, an insecticide previously used for similar sprayings in Florida and South Carolina.
Officials will spray Pyrenone 25-5, derived from chrysanthemums. County health officials say the spray poses low risks to people and pets; it dissipates in approximately 30 minutes.
To minimize your exposure to the spray, officials recommend staying inside with any pets, close doors and windows, cover ornamental fishponds, rinse fruits and vegetables from your garden and wipe down or cover outdoor items.
In the weeks after the spraying, officials will continue to trap for Aedes mosquitoes in the surrounding area.
Rebecca LaFreniere, Deputy Director with Department of Environmental Health San Diego County, suggested residents help the county control the aedes species of mosquitoes by routinely removing breeding areas around their home.
She suggested something as small as a toy, a lawn ornament or a saucer could provide a perfect amount of water for mosquitoes to multiply.
There have been no local cases of Zika reported in San Diego County.
