Phoenixville To Be Sprayed For West Nile Virus

PHOENIXVILLE, PA — Parts of Phoenixville will be sprayed this week to control mosquito populations and West Nile Virus.

The spraying will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 5 from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. A rain date has been set for the same times on Thursday, Sept. 6.

The area within the shaded part of the map above will be sprayed. The Chester County Health Department will use a truck-mounted sprayer to apply .66 ounces of the chemical DeltaGard per acre of land. DeltaGard is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The health department added that sprays are not used near bodies of water or apiaries in order to protect aquatic life and bees.

Officials say that residents "should consider" staying inside while the spraying is occurring, and turning off any ventilation systems that draw in outside air.

The spraying comes just days after it was announced two humans had been diagnosed with West Nile Virus in Montgomery County, in Montgomery Township and Lower Merion. West Nile has been found in mosquito samples at increasingly high rates in both Montgomery and Chester counties as the summer wears on.

According to the CDC, about one in five people who are infected develop a fever and other symptoms. About one out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness. You can reduce your risk of West Nile Virus by using insect repellent and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants to prevent mosquito bites, the CDC said.

West Nile virus appeared for the first time in Pennsylvania in birds, mosquitoes and a horse in 2000.

It is most commonly spread to humans by infected mosquitoes. It can cause febrile illness, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord), according to the CDC.

For more details on what residents can do to limit mosquito populations and protect themselves from the virus, see here.

See also:

• Positive West Nile Samples In 6 Chester County Communities
• 2 Humans Diagnosed With West Nile Virus In Montgomery County

Images via Chester County Health Department