FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky (April 14, 2016) -- Workers with the Pest Control division of Fort Campbell's Directorate of Public Works are gearing up for another mosquito season.
As they prepare to keep the pesky population under control, they advise Soldiers, Families and civilian employees of the installation to protect themselves and help protect the community.
While the bite of a mosquito can be itchy and annoying, health officials warn that irritation can be the least of the problems that come with the bite of an infected female. Female mosquitoes have the capability to transmit a variety of bloodborne diseases, including West Nile, Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika viruses. The newest arrival of the Zika virus from South America has national health institutions on alert as the illness makes its way to the United States.
"Most of what we've learned is not reassuring," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tuesday during a press conference in Washington. "Everything we look at with this virus seems to be a bit scarier than we initially thought."
Edward Legere, Fort Campbell DPW Pest Control foreman, said that an important factor in controlling the local mosquito population will be habitat reduction.
"That's the most important thing that can eliminate the probability that you'll have a problem," he said.
Female mosquitoes will lay their eggs in the vicinity of water so that hatched larvae can thrive in the liquid until they mature. Minimizing the availability of standing water can ensure that fewer females have a place to deposit their eggs.
"Of course, many of the places here on base, you can't just eliminate the water," Legere said. "What you have to do is deal with what's left behind, and that's when we come in. We put out larvicide."
As the larvicide does its job on the larvae population, the Preventative Medicine division of Blanchfield Army Community Hospital keeps a watch on the adult population, letting Pest Control know when it is time to deploy the foggers.
"You don't have to go running inside when we bring out the foggers," Legere said. "It's an ultra low-volume application; the chemicals are micron-sized when they're pumped into the air."
Legere said the use of larvicides and mosquito fog trucks have been effective tools in helping to keep the mosquito population under control at Fort Campbell.
"Here on base we've always been successful in our program to not have any mosquito-borne diseases among the people [who] live here and work here," he said. "I think we've done pretty good over the years."
The residents and employees of Fort Campbell can help further reduce the problem by taking a few simple preventative measures.
"You can go around your yard and look for things you might not pay attention to -- a bucket of water, kiddie pools, birdbaths," Legere said. "Even HVAC units. They sweat, they condensate and create water. Many times we'll get calls and we'll see that an HVAC unit is creating a mosquito habitat in a person's yard. Eliminating water is very important."
Legere said that personal protection is very important as well -- in the form of protective clothing and insect repellant.
"Some people are averse to putting DEET on because it's a pesticide, but they're going to have to get over that," he said. "It works, and it works all the time."
Information about mosquito bite prevention, as well as symptoms of mosquito-borne illnesses and travel advisories, can be found at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, www.cdc.gov.
"They can also call us at 270-798-3110 if they have any concerns," Legere said. "I'll be glad to talk to anyone regarding any concerns about mosquitoes or the chemicals we use."
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