Sen. Patty Ritchie
/ file photo
OSWEGO -- As the Oswego County Health Department prepares for the aerial spraying of disease carrying mosquitoes, State Senator Patty Ritchie says there's a need for a more coordinated response to the threat of Eastern Equine Encephalitis. Ritchie wants to examine the decision making process that followed the death of four-year-old Maggie Sue Wilcox of New Haven from Eastern Equine Encephalitis. "The state needs to step in earlier and possibly take control of the resolution." Ritchie told CNY Central's Jim Kenyon Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Oswego County Public Health Director Dr. Dennis Norfleet announced that he had written to the New York State Health Department asking for a "declaration of emergency that will allow us to conduct aerial spraying." The announcement comes one day after Norfleet decided not to conduct aerial spraying for mosquitoes, despite the death of Maggie Wilcox. Norfleet said Tuesday that the decision to proceed with aerial spraying was based on the discovery of new infected pools of mosquitoes in Palermo and the Toad Harbor Swamp area near Oneida Lake.
Senator Ritchie and Assemblyman Will Barclay jointly praised the decision to kill off the mosquitoes with aerial spraying. Ritchie had already written to the State Health Commissioner, the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Chair of the Senate Health Committee asking for "a detailed explanation of steps" they are taking to counter the spread of EEE to animals and humans. The letter noted that since 1971, there have been five deaths from EEE, all of them occurring in Central New York.
Click here to download and read Sen. Ritchie's letter.
According to the State Health Department, the highest risk areas for EEE are in Onondaga, Oneida, Madison and Oswego located around Oneida Lake.
State health officials say the decision to spray for mosquitos is a local decision. It is influenced by a several factors like surveillance data, mosquitoes population numbers and species of mosquito populations, the density and proximity of human populations, the time of year and weather conditions.
Read more about Eastern Equine Encephalitis.
