Two more horses test positive for EEE in Onondaga County

Lysander (WSYR-TV) - A horse stabled in the Town of Lysander became ill with Eastern Equine Encephalitis and was euthanized one day before the Onondaga County Health Department sprayed pesticides over another area to kill mosquitoes infected with the virus.

The State Department of Health confirmed the horse's diagnosis late Thursday, six days after it had been euthanized. County Commissioner of Health Dr. Cynthia Morrow says that this was the first horse diagnosed with the virus in the County since 2004. One person did die of the virus earlier this year.

Onondaga County sprayed pesticides to kill infected mosquitoes in the Cicero Swamp area last Saturday, after a number of weather-related delays. That spraying was concentrated in the area of Northern Blvd, Route 31, and Taft Road. The horse that died of the virus was stabled on Oswego Road in the Town of Lysander.

Dr. Morrow also announced that the EEE virus was not identified in any of the mosquito pools collected last week. Saturday, September 11, the Health Department sprayed pesticides to kill infected mosquitoes in the Cicero Swamp area.

Despite finding no evidence of EEE in last week's pools, the Health Department is still urging residents to take the following safety precautions:

Personal Protection:

• Wearing shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt when outside for a long period of time
• Avoiding outside activity during prime mosquito feeding times (dawn and dusk)
• Applying a repellent containing DEET, Picaridin, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, and IR3535 is recommended to prevent mosquito bites (follow manufacturers instructions on proper use)
  

Preventive measures:

• Throw away outdoor tin cans, plastic containers, or similar outdoor items that collect water
• Remove tires from your property
• Drill holes in the bottoms of recycling containers that are kept outdoors
• Clean clogged rain gutters
• Turn over wheelbarrows and wading pools when not in use
• Change water in bird baths every four days
• Clear vegetation and debris from the edges of ponds
• Clean chlorinated swimming pools, outdoor saunas and hot tubs
• Drain water from pool covers
• Use landscaping to eliminate low spots where standing water accumulates

A new pool of EEE infected mosquitoes was found in Oneida County. Those mosquitoes were collected within the area that county had previously sprayed pesticides.

Cicero (WSYR-TV) – After days of delay, the Onondaga County Health Department was able to conduct its mosquito spraying over the Cicero Swamp area. The spraying happened started just before 7:00pm and lasted for about two hours.

Saturday’s spraying follows the discovery of more pools of Triple-E, according to the Onondaga County Health Department.

Five new pools of mosquitoes carrying Eastern Equine Encephalitis were discovered in the swamp. 

Already, one person has died from Triple-E this year. Saturday’s spraying was concentrated in the area of Northern Blvd, Route 31, and Taft Road.

Cicero (WSYR-TV) - Because of low temperatures, the Onondaga County Health Department will once again delay aerial spraying for mosquitoes in the Cicero Swamp area.  Meanwhile, five additional pools of mosquitoes have tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis.
 
When spraying was delayed earlier in the week due to weather, the county agency anticipated it could begin on either Friday or Saturday. On Friday, the county agency announced that it intends to spray on Saturday, Sept. 11, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The new spray date is once again contingent on the weather.
 
One person has been confirmed dead in Onondaga County after being diagnosed with EEE. Earlier in the month, the department found infected mosquitoes known for biting humans. Previously, several other pools had been found, but only those of the bird-biting variety. Numerous pools have been identified in counties throughout Central New York, particularly in the Oneida Lake area.
 
Along with announcing the spraying delay, the county announced that is has discovered five more pools of infected mosquitoes in Cicero. Two were found at the Island Road trap, two were found at the Route 298 trap, and one was found in the Taft Road trap. All of the infected mosquitoes were of the species known mostly for biting birds.

East Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - An East Syracuse neighborhood is one of many dealing with swarms of mosquitoes as they wait for the County Health Department to spray pesticides to kill the pests. It's so bad in the neighborhood near Manlius Townline Road that neighbors say they run from their cars to take shelter inside as soon as possible.

Mary Burghardt and her neighbors say they're getting used to swatting at mosquitoes. "It's just ridiculous, you can't be outside," she said. "You can't do anything."

"From the minute you get up in the morning until the minute you go to bed at night, the swarms are just terrible," said Burghardt.

Michelle Stanczyk says that despite her best efforts, it is difficult to enjoy the summer outdoors on her patio. An arsenal of mosquito repellents is failing to keep the bugs away. "We've got foggers, we've got Yard Guard, we've got Off and DEET," she said.

Following the County Health Department's announcement that the mosquito-borne EEE virus has killed a resident, Stanczyk says her worry has increased. "Who knows where these mosquitoes came from?" she asked. "I know they say they have test pools, but you know you can't be sure."

Onondaga County had planned to spray in the area of Cicero Swamp Wednesday, but the spraying was delayed until either Friday or Saturday due to weather. The spraying was originally scheduled for Tuesday.

EEE is rare in humans but affects the brain. Signs of the virus include fever, headache, dizziness and confusion.

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - The Onondaga County Health Department has once again delayed spraying for mosquitoes infected with the EEE virus due to inclement weather.

One person was reported dead on Wednesday after contracting the virus. The county recently discovered four infected pools in the Cicero Swamp area, two of which have species known to bite humans and two of which primarily bite birds.

As former Cicero Town Supervisor, Chet Dudzynski is fully aware of the history of EEE in Onondaga County. In his barn he keeps an old sign he used to display on his property, poking fun at the debate years ago pitting environmental concerns over human concerns when it came to aerial spraying. He says in light of this most recent death however, EEE is no laughing matter. "I remember when I was a kid they used to spray on a monthly basis and we used to stand outside and look at the planes. But now, the rules are you need a health threat declared," he said. "From there you could go forward. I just wish they would spray a little bit earlier."

The Health Department can only react when it comes to EEE, and spray after a health threat is determined. Shelly Knoblock, who rides horses in Cicero, says the news of a EEE death is troubling, but won't keep her from enjoying her animals, and going for a ride. She just wishes the county would spray. "Last night they were ready, we didn't expect them to no do it. And then they didn't do it. So, it's kind of a shock," she said.

While horses can be vaccinated against EEE, humans can't. Still, doctors say human cases are very rare. This most recent death is only the fourth in all of New York State, though most of them were in the Central New York area.

Mosquitoes, Dudzynski says, are just a fact of life in his neighborhood. "Down here you've got Cicero swamp, and people have to learn to live with mosquitoes," he said.

The county now plans on spraying Friday, September 10, or Saturday, September 11, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Cicero Swamp area. The county initially planned on spraying Tuesday when unfavorable weather conditions forced the county to push the spraying date to Wednesday.

9WSYR.com and NewsChannel 9 will have updates on spraying as they are released by the health department.

Cicero (WSYR-TV) - The Onondaga County Health Department has delayed its planned pesticide spraying in the Cicero Swamp area due to high winds. The first alternate date for the pesticide spraying will be Wednesday.

The spraying was planned after four pools human-biting of mosquitoes caught along Island Road were found to be infected with the EEE virus.

Lisa Letteney, of the County Health Department, says that while the decision to spray came almost a week ago, the actual spraying was delayed by a need to get a declaration of a public health emergency from the State. "We also have to contact the company that's going to do the aerial spraying for us and unfortunately because of a lot of the EEE that's been going on this year he was busy for the rest of the week," she said.

Letteney also said aerial spraying is the only acceptable option for the Cicero Swamp, and ground spraying would not be effective for the area. "Cicero Swamp is so dense and that spraying would only affect several feet into the swamp and we really need to do the entire thing deep into the swamp," she said.

While both the bird-biting and human-biting variety of mosquitoes have tested positive for the EEE virus, it is very rare that people contract the virus. "EEE is very rare and people that actually get bitten by a EEE mosquito many times will not have any type of symptoms or they may have mild symptoms that they just think are mild flu like symptoms," said Letteney.

Neighboring Oswego and Oneida Counties have also sprayed for EEE infected pools.

Residents around the swamp area should stay indoors and keep their windows closed Wednesday during the spraying.

Stay with NewsChannel 9 for updates and further coverage Wednesday.

Cicero (WSYR-TV) - After finding that two pools of mosquitoes known to bite people were infected with the EEE virus, the Onondaga County Health Department has decided to spray for the insects on Tuesday, September 7, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

The Department found four pools that were infected with the virus. All four were collected from the Island Road trap in the Town of Cicero. Two the pools are comprised of species known to bite humans. Two were comprised of one species known only to bite birds.

Spraying will be contingent on the weather. If weather conditions are not favorable for spraying, Wednesday, September 8, will be the first back-up date.

The designated spray area is generally bounded by Route 31 on the north, Northern Boulevard on the west, Taft Road to the south, and the county line (Chittenango Creek) to the east.

The pesticide the county intends to use is control, which is registered with the the Environmental Protection Agency.

A copy of the pesticide label can be found at the county's website.

Onondaga County (WSYR-TV) - The Onondaga County Health Department announced that a pool of mosquitoes collected on Aug. 19 has tested positive for EEE.

The pool was collected from a trap located at Oneida Shores in the Town of Cicero and the county received the test results from the New York State Health Department late Wednesday.

Infected pools had previously been discovered in neighboring Oswego and Oneida Counties. Those pools were also located near Oneida Lake.

The department recommends that residents take protective measures including:

• Wearing shoes and socks, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt when outside for long periods of time
• Avoiding outside activities during prime feeding times (dawn and dusk)
• Applying repellent

Preventative measures include:

• To reduce mosquitoes around the home, replace or repair broken screens and install new screens as needed;
• Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or similar outdoor items that hold water;
• Drill holes in the bottoms of recycling containers that are kept outside;
• Clean clogged rain gutters and make sure they continue to work properly;
• Turn over wheelbarrows and wading pools when not in use;
• Change water in bird baths at least every four days;
• Clear vegetation and debris from edges of ponds;
• Clean chlorinated swimming pools, outdoor saunas and hot tubs;
• Drain water from pool covers; and
• Use landscaping materials to eliminate low spots where standing water accumulates.