With the Memorial Day weekend kicking of the official summer season this past weekend, people will be outside celebrating with backyard barbeques and trips to parks and beaches. Long Beach Health Officials are reminding people that the warmer weather also creates an ideal environment for some uninvited guests, mosquitoes.

Although no positive West Nile Virus (WNV) activity has been detected in Long Beach this year, WNV-positive birds and mosquitoes have been detected nearby in Los Angeles and Riverside Counties. City of Long Beach Interim Health Officer, Dr. Mauro Torno, is urging residents to protect themselves from mosquitoes this holiday weekend and during the upcoming warmer summer months.

Avoiding mosquitoes can reduce the risk of exposure to WNV and other mosquito borne diseases. Long Beach health officials are advising residents to take the following precautions:

• Avoid mosquito-infested areas especially at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
• Mosquitoes can breed in standing water. Eliminate standing water on your property by dumping or draining water in neglected ponds, birdbaths, fountains, buckets, old tires or anything that can hold water. Dumping or draining water will interrupt the mosquito life cycle.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants if you plan to be outdoors at dawn or dusk.
• Use mosquito repellant containing DEET, Picaridin, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus. Residents should follow instructions on the label. Consult with your child’s pediatrician for appropriate concentrations of DEET to be used on children under the age of 2.
• Keep tight-fitting screens on doors and windows to prevent mosquitoes from entering homes and check to make sure your window screens are in good condition.
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools and drain water from pool covers.
• Limit the watering of lawns and outdoor plants to twice a week to avoid run off to gutters and around sprinklers.

Report dead birds and dead tree squirrels to the California Department of Health Services by calling 1-877-WNV-Bird or online at www.westnile.ca.gov.

For further information, contact the City of Long Beach DHHS, Vector Control Program at 562.570.4132 or online at www.longbeach.gov/health and click on “West Nile Virus.” Join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lbwnv. Further information about the WNV may be obtained at the State of California Department of Health Services website at www.westnile.ca.gov, or at the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile.