Heed mosquito advisory

DON SHOOPMAN SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

Toward the end of another week last week a telephone call and subsequent brief report was a sobering reminder there are things that go bite in the night (or day) and pose a threat to your health.

The owner of Cajun Mosquito Control LLC wanted to alert the public to the fact that mosquitoes in three of a dozen pools on the northern end of Cypremort Point tested positive that week for West Nile Virus.

As the summer rocks and rolls and simmers along, sometimes that potential threat is pushed to the back of the mind. The advisory was issued to remind people to take even more safeguards to protect themselves from mosquito bites.

The intention wasn’t to create a panic or anything like that. But West Nile and related mosquito-borne viruses should be taken seriously.

Jessie Boudreaux said his Cajun Mosquito Control LLC targeted the residences and camps in and around the affected the area by urging people to drain standing water, by treating standing water and by distributing informational flyers. His workers also sprayed the area by truck Friday through Sunday, he said.

The Point is a vacation and recreational destination for hundreds of Teche Area residents. Hopefully, they took heed of the advisory and followed simple precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Those precautions include wearing long-sleeved, light-colored clothing; using DEET-based mosquito repellent; avoiding or trying to avoid getting outdoors at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active, and draining sites with standing water such as buckets, plant bowls, wheelbarrows, old tires and similar containers that hold water.

Those tips are sound advice for anyone living in the area. It’s common sense, mostly.

Avoid those bloodsuckers at all costs.