Officials: Spraying planned for 6:45 p.m. Tuesday evening, weather permitting
OSWEGO -- More aerial spraying to kill mosquitoes is planned in a central New York county where Eastern equine encephalitis was found in one of the insects tested by state health experts last week.
The Oswego County Health Department says the spraying is scheduled for Tuesday evening in a 10,000-acre area just north of Oneida Lake, 10 miles northeast of Syracuse.
The Health Department says the spraying will begin after 6:45 p.m. Tuesday evening and continue until the target area has been treated. If the spraying is postponed due to weather, residents will be notified on the County's website www.oswegocounty.com.
The Health Department says residents will be notified of spraying in each targeted area within twenty minutes of the decision to spray through the Oswego County HypeReach (Reverse 911) Broadcast Notification Service.
The boundaries include of the area to be sprayed are Route 11 in Central Square to the west, NYS Route 49 to the north, up to but not including the village of Constantia to the east, and the shoreline of Oneida Lake to the south. Spraying will not take place over the waters of Oneida Lake.
Residents are encouraged to stay indoors, keep pets indoors, close window vents, remove outdoor toys and furniture, and to cover gardens.
The discovery of EEE last week in Oswego County was the first in 2012. Last year, a 4-year-old Oswego County girl died from EEE, a brain virus that also killed several horses and a dog in the same county.
Health officials advise residents in the spraying area to stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed for one hour after the spraying.
(Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.)
