The latest lab report has confirmed the presence of West Nile virus (WNV) in Culex mosquitoes in six areas of Knox County. Following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protocol, the Knox County Health Department (KCHD) will spray for mosquitoes in these areas on Tuesday, Aug. 22 and Thursday, Aug. 24 between 9 p.m. and midnight, weather permitting, to reduce the Culex mosquito population and the risk of WNV spreading to humans. Signs will be posted in the affected neighborhoods to alert residents, who are asked to stay inside during spraying and keep pets inside or in the backyard. Spray area details are below, maps are included.

 

“While it doesn’t occur every mosquito season, it’s not altogether uncommon for this many mosquito pools to test positive for West Nile virus at once,” said KCHD Environmental Health Director Ronnie Nease. “Mosquito season is here, and we need the community to do their part to help reduce mosquito-borne disease by wearing mosquito repellant and by dumping any standing water on their property every week.”

 

To prevent mosquito bites and reduce mosquito habitats, officials recommend the following:

• Apply repellants to skin often; these can include lotions, liquids or sprays. The CDC recommends the use of repellants that contain DEET, Picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane 3, 8-diol, and IR3535. The duration of protection varies by repellant; read labels on products to determine when reapplications are necessary for optimal protection.
• Wear long, loose and light-colored shirts and pants and wear socks.
• Treat clothing with permethrin or purchase pretreated permethrin clothing.
• Dispose of, regularly empty, or turn over any water holding containers on your property such as tires, cans, flower pots, children’s toys or trash cans.
• To prevent breeding in large water-holding devices, including bird baths or garden pools, use larvicides such as mosquito torpedoes or mosquito dunks. If used properly, larvicides will not harm animals.
• More tips can be found at: http://www.knoxcounty.org/health/mosquitoes.php

 

Tuesday, Aug. 22 Spray Areas

 

Asheville Highway/Carter:

Carter Mill Subdivision; Knox County’s Carter Park; Strawberry Plains Pike from Asheville Highway to Carter School Road; Carter School Road from Strawberry Plains Pike to Asheville Highway; and Asheville Highway from Carter School Road to Strawberry Plains Pike will be treated Tuesday, Aug. 22, weather permitting. Follow-up spraying is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 5.

 

Fairmont Boulevard:

Mineral Springs Avenue from Walker Boulevard to Whittle Springs Road; Walker Boulevard from Mineral Springs Avenue to Powers Street; Montclair Avenue; Underwood Place; White Oak Lane; Valley View Drive from Whittle Springs Road to White Oak Lane; McCampbell Avenue; Upland Avenue; Tecoma Drive; Arbor Place; Maxwell Street; Emoriland Boulevard east of Kuhlman Street; Fairmont Boulevard from Kuhlman Street to Maxwell Street; Avondale from Whittle Springs to Maxwell Street; Boright Place; Boright Drive from Whittle Springs Road to Maxwell Street; McNutt Street; Brunswick Street; Whitney Place; Forestdale Avenue from Whittle Springs Road to Maxwell Street; Edgewood Avenue from Barton Street to Maxwell Street; Barton Street from Edgewood to Fairmont; Albert Avenue from Barton Street to Fairview Street; Nickerson Avenue from Barton Street to Bellevue Street; Fairview Street from Nickerson Avenue to Edgewood Avenue; Clearview Street; Orlando Street; Bellevue Street; Derieux Drive; Seymour Avenue; Sandra Avenue; Shaw Drive; Fontana Street; Fairwood Avenue; Powers Street; and Miami Street will be treated Tuesday, Aug. 22, weather permitting. Follow-up spraying is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 5.

 

Tower Drive:

Aurora Lane; Charlene Lane; Woodale Drive; Old Central Avenue Pike; Steeple Chase Apartment complex; Pratt Road; Tower Drive; Lawrence Road; Caron Drive; Sierra Road; Chesswood Drive; Woodleaf Drive; Sanford Road; Lutie Road; Oakcrest Road; Tillman Road; Rowan Road south to Henrietta Drive; Henrietta Drive east to Willoway Drive; Delapp Drive; and Griffins Gate Lane will be treated Tuesday, Aug. 22, weather permitting. Follow-up spraying is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 5.

 

Thursday, Aug. 24 Spray Areas

 

Choto/Heron’s Point:

Subdivisions Amber Woods, Bayview West, Choto Farms, Heron’s Point, Livery, Mallard Bay, Tanglewood, Walnut Grove and the Woods at Montgomery Cove will be treated Thursday, Aug. 24, weather permitting. Follow-up spraying is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 7.

 

Gulf Park/Venice Road:

Dutchtown Road from Christian Academy of Knoxville (CAK) to Blessed Way including Manis Lane and the area around CAK; Embarcadero Drive; Cortez Drive; Tallahassee Drive; Sanders Road from Dutchtown Road to Venice Road; Venice Road; Ethans Glen Drive; Tampa Road; Suwannee Road; Gulf Park Drive; Galveston Road; Naples Road; Sarasota Drive; Mobile Drive; Briarwood Drive; Laurel Hill Road; and the areas around Cedar Bluff Primary and Cedar Bluff Middle School will be treated Thursday, Aug. 24, weather permitting. Follow-up spraying is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 7.

 

Karns/Knox County Sports Park:

Hackworth Road; Boles Road; West Emory Road from Henderson Road to Boles Road; Old Cobbs Ferry Road; Karns Valley Drive; Walkers Gate Subdivision; Brookhaven Subdivision; Bluebell Lane; West Meadow Subdivision; Garrison Road from Byington-Beaver Ridge Road to Byington-Solway Road; and Boomerang Lane will be treated Thursday, Aug. 24, weather permitting. Follow-up spraying is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 7.

 

To reduce the risk of mosquito-borne disease, KCHD conducts a West Nile virus control program during the summer and fall months. As the weather warms each spring, public health professionals begin a weekly process of trapping and testing mosquitoes for WNV, a mosquito-borne disease which can infect humans, horses and birds. From March until the first frost, KCHD also uses larvicides in areas with standing water to prevent mosquito proliferation. These efforts are in addition to KCHD’s work to assess and monitor for Zika virus disease. More information is available by calling 865-215-5200 or visiting www.knoxcounty.org/health.

 

About Knox County Health Department:

The Knox County Health Department (KCHD) is a governmental agency dedicated to making every person a healthy person. As the first health department in Tennessee to achieve national accreditation by the Public Health Accreditation Board, KCHD’s mission is to encourage, promote and assure the development of an active, healthy community through innovative public health practices. The organization conducts disease surveillance, prevention and control; emergency preparedness; nutrition and physical activity promotion; tobacco use prevention; health equity promotion; immunizations; and much more. For more information, visit www.knoxcounty.org/health.