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8.18.2000 00:15
Mosquito counts down in sprayed area
 The DEM urges people to continue precautions against West Nile virus by taking steps to avoid mosquito bites.
By MICHAEL SMITH
Journal Staff Writer
WARWICK
-- Insecticide sprayed in sections of Cranston and Warwick to guard against the spread of West Nile virus appears to have killed a large number of mosquitoes in the area.
But because mosquito trapping, which is how scientists measured the spray's effect, varies widely depending on weather conditions, it was tough to draw any firm conclusions from the results.
Crews sprayed a two-mile radius surrounding 292 Pine St., in Warwick, on Tuesday, after a dead crow found there tested positive for the virus. It was the first time West Nile was detected in Rhode Island.
To find out if the insecticide Sumithrin was effective, the state Department of Environmental Management set three mosquito traps on Wednesday night in the spray area. Yesterday morning, scientists found 20 mosquitoes in two of the traps, which they said seemed to indicate the spray worked.
The third trap, hung from a tree in the Garden City section of Cranston, was vandalized, DEM officials said. Its pieces were found scattered on the ground. The trap was reset in Cranston last night.
"That's really putting the public health at risk," Malcolm Grant, associate director for natural resources at the DEM, said of the vandalism. "Those are our eyes and ears of what's going on."
Even though the spray seemed to kill many of the mosquitoes, the DEM urged people to take precautions by not allowing water to stagnate in their yards. Sitting water is often a breeding ground for the bugs.
Residents should also try to avoid mosquito bites by wearing long sleeves at night or staying indoors when possible.
"There's still mosquitoes out there," said Alan Gettman, mosquito abatement coordinator for the DEM. "We can't kill them all."
West Nile virus, in rare cases, can be fatal to humans. It can occasionally cause encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, but most of the time people who contract it only experience flu-like effects and recover.
Last year, the first time the virus appeared in the United States, seven people in the New York City area died from encephalitis caused by West Nile. There have been no deaths this year.
Yesterday morning, the DEM compared the number of bugs caught on Wednesday night to a round of mosquito trappings done on Tuesday night across the state.
On Tuesday, a total of 1,284 mosquitoes were collected in 23 traps, an average of 56 in each one. The number caught Wednesday, an average of 10 in each trap, was well below that.
"That doesn't surprise me one bit," Gettman said. "I know that a spray operation like that is effective."
The traps also aren't always put in the same spots. On Wednesday, DEM officials concentrated the traps in the two-mile radius that was sprayed, which isn't usually the method used. Two of the traps were put in Warwick and one in Cranston.
The state will continue its weekly trapping and testing of mosquitoes to determine whether they are carrying West Nile virus. Results from the next round of testing are due back late next week. The most likely carrier of West Nile seems to be the "common house mosquito," which is abundant in urban areas.
Regular testing of dead birds, when no cause of death is apparent, is also being done.
Find out more about the West Nile virus
, from recent local news to information about the disease to preventive measures, at:
http://projo.com/specials/westnile/
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