District Taking Proactive Measures to Fight Mosquitoes

District Taking Preventative Measures Against Mosquitoes
Posted on 08/16/2019
Mosquito

This week, the Florida Department of Health in Citrus County has issued a mosquito-borne illness advisory due to an increase in mosquito-borne disease activity in areas of Citrus County.

The School District has taken several proactive steps to protect our students on campus.  Custodial and maintenance workers on our school campuses are eliminating areas of standing water or items that may be collecting water such as rain barrels, discarded tires, and buckets that may be outside.

Before football season begins, areas around football stadiums are sprayed. “This is a proactive measure that we’ve been practicing for years, which reduces the likelihood of having mosquitoes in areas where spectators will gather for games,” says Assistant Superintendent Jonny Bishop.  “All of our athletic directors have been briefed on this advisory and have been tasked with sharing this information with their coaching staff.”

We’d like to remind you of the symptoms and preventative steps because we know this is a time of year when families and students are spending a lot of time outdoors. Most people infected with West Nile Virus do not have any signs or symptoms. However, if you do see symptoms such as fever, headache, tiredness, body aches or skin rash, seek medical attention.

We understand that it is hot, however, we urge parents to make sure their children are covered with long pants, and long sleeve shirts when possible OR spray children with mosquito repellent PRIOR to them coming to school.  Always use repellents according to the label. Repellents with DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, and IR3535 are effective.  Read label instructions to be sure the repellent is age-appropriate.  For more information, visit Citrus DOH’s website at http://citrus.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2019/08/mosquitoadvisory.pdf.html?fbclid=IwAR16uwp3lV-YVGaXsNR-r2p4_v4G7x8hfGeemN8xxY9jTCNVoAIHoGKdg3c. 

Let’s do our part in preventing the spread of mosquitos throughout our community.