Branson Strikes at Virus - BDN

Branson strikes at virus

Jeff McRoy, with the Branson Health Department, sprays pesticides along a treeline Thursday at Branson Lakeside RV Park along Lake Taneycomo in an effort to rid the area of mosquitoes following positive test results for West Nile virus. The city will continue to spray public areas, including city parks, later this month. BDN photo by Krystal J. Carman
By Krystal J. Carman
BDN Staff Writer

Following the announcement of the presence of West Nile virus in Taney County, the city of Branson has begun spraying for mosquitoes.

On Thursday, Branson Health Department officials chose two locations - Branson's city campground on Lake Taneycomo, and Sunset Park - to spray insecticides to eliminate mosquitoes that could be carrying the virus. Earlier this month, the county received word that 12 pools of mosquitoes out of approximately 100 tested positive for the virus.

Although the city will continue to spray at the city campground and city parks, officials say it is up to residents to eliminate breeding conditions.

"We can spray and kill the mosquitoes there are now, but that's not going to take care of all of them," said Jeff McRoy, with the Branson Health Department, which is spearheading the effort. "You have to get rid of places where they can breed. In standing water, brush, anywhere they can breed."

To guard against infected mosquitoes, health officials suggest wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants when outdoors at dawn and dusk; wearing insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus; and reducing mosquito breeding sites by removing weeds, trash and places that hold standing water.

McRoy said he did not know whether the city plans to spray along city streets in the future, but did say the spraying of public areas would begin later this month.

With the discovery of the virus in Taney County for the second year in a row, Taney County Health Department officials say the public is at a higher risk of catching the virus.

In October of last year, mosquitoes from a neighborhood in north Branson along Lake Taneycomo tested positive for the virus. Taney County is one of 16 counties in Missouri that have tested positive for West Nile virus in mosquitoes.

The infected mosquitoes were trapped over the past few months by Branson Health Department officials, with each pool containing between 5 and 50 mosquitoes. Another 100 pools of mosquitoes were recently sent to the state for West Nile testing. West Nile Virus is an infectious disease that arrived in the United States in 1999.