The Oswego County Health Department says the aerial spraying this week to prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases was successful in reducing the insect's population, but officials warn that the threat is still out there.
After more than 20 pools in Oswego County tested positive for the Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile viruses this summer, the county took to the skies. They sprayed pesticide over 10,000 acres around the Big Bay and Toad Harbor swamps in the towns of Hastings, West Monroe and Constantia. The director of Oswego County's health department Jiancheng Huang says it was effective.
"After spraying we collected information, and we can confidently say 95 percent mosquito were killed," Huang said. "But what I try to say really is the importance for individual is still we need protect ourself."
Huang says West Nile and EEE are still active in Oswego County. And with several weeks of summer left, he says residents should remain vigilant.
Mosquito pools in Onondaga County have tested positive for West Nile this summer and it was also found in a resident of Oneida County.
