Fulton Health Services will Spray Parks to Fight West Nile Virus, starting with Wolf Creek Amphitheater

Fulton County Health Services will begin barrier spraying areas identified as sites where mosquitoes tested positive as carriers of the West Nile Virus.

In preparation for the concert at Wolf Creek Amphitheater being held on Saturday, September 1, 2012, Health Services will barrier spray the venue in order to best protect citizens and visitors attending the concert. The spraying will have no adverse effect on the health of concert goers, residents or businesses located in the surrounding area.

The first Barrier Spraying will begin at Wolf Creek Amphitheater as a precaution to protect Concert Attendees for the Labor Day Weekend Concert.

Barrier Spraying is considered an adulticide. The process includes delivering a chemical called Permethrin as a fine mist onto foliage and surrounding vegetation in the affected areas. Permethrin is approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for use in recreational and residential settings.

This step is an extra precaution and comes after the department’s current strategy of larviciding the positive mosquito sample sites identified within the County. Larviciding eliminates mosquitos in the larval developmental stage.

Health Services remains diligent in addressing this issue and has been moving forward with aggressive prevention efforts since March of 2012.

Areas in need of adulticide treatment and that are scheduled to receive barrier spraying are listed below:

• Grove Park
• Springvale Park
• Frankie Allen Park
• Bobby Jones Golf Course
• Wolf Creek Amphitheater
• Wills Park

An official date for barrier spraying at these locations has not been determined yet, however notices will be placed throughout the surrounding areas that are in immediate proximity of these locations. Health Services will provide residents and business communities in these areas with a 7-day advance notice about the spraying. To date, Health Services has larvicided over 10,000 catch basins (including 8 acres), distributed over 1,000 pieces of information within the community on West Nile prevention, responded to 46 calls regarding mosquito infestation, and inspected 21 properties.

For more information on West Nile Virus and prevention methods, call the Mosquito Hotline: 404-730-5296 or contact the Fulton County Health Services, Division of Environmental Health at (404) 613-1301, or, you can log-on to www.fultoncountygahealth.org.