Long Beach health officials are urging residents to take the necessary precautions against the West Nile Virus and other mosquito borne diseases this Memorial Day and the upcoming warmer summer months, Long Beach Health Department (LBHD) officials said.

“Over the holiday weekend, people will be outside celebrating the unofficial kick-off of the summer season with backyard barbecues and trips to campgrounds, parks and beaches…[and] as the weather gets warmer, mosquito breeding is certain to increase,” officials said in a statement. 

In a release, health authorities advised residents to take precautions that include avoiding mosquito-infested areas (especially at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active), wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants (especially at dawn and dusk), clean and chlorinate swimming pools and drain water from pool covers, and follow new restrictions and limit watering of lawns and outdoor plants to Tuesdays and Saturdays. 

Other advised precautions include: 

• Mosquitoes can breed in standing water. Eliminate standing water on your property by draining water in neglected ponds, birdbaths, fountains, buckets, old tires or anything that can hold water. Recycle water for outdoor use instead of using potable water.
• Use mosquito repellent 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 two years.
• 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.
• Follow new restrictions and limit the watering of lawns and outdoor plants to Tuesdays and Saturdays, and 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 Health Department Vector Control Program at 562.570.4132 or at www.longbeach.gov/health/wnv_info.

Further information about the WNV may be obtained at the California Department of Public Health website at www.westnile.ca.gov, or at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile.