LaredoBuzz.Com

Courtesy Xochitl Mora,

(Laredo, TX) – – It is clean up time, especially after the flooding, and the City of Laredo Health Department is advising the public and the business community that “everyone must do their part.”  The city and county is doing their part to keep the public right of ways clean of debris, trash and tires, but there is too much left from the flooding and everyone needs to contribute. We need everyone, individuals and businesses alike, to do their part to get rid of trash and standing water, as well as clean their yards and to report any illegal dumping, especially tires and trash.  This will help reduce the breeding of mosquitoes and other vectors (rodents, flees, ticks etc.) which can cause diseases such as Dengue Fever, West Nile Virus as well other vector-borne diseases in the very young, elderly and those that have underlying medical conditions. Therefore we want to provide the public with the following recommendations to reduce the risk of disease: 

• Eliminate all stagnant water, trash and waste.
• Clean yards, cut grass, prune bushes and hedges
• At least once or twice a week, empty water from flower pots, pet food and water dishes, birdbaths, swimming pool covers, buckets, barrels, and cans.
• Check for clogged rain gutters and clean them out.
• Check your sprinkler systems for leaks to prevent over watering.
• Chlorinate pools daily and run the pump for at least 4 hours.
• Be sure to check for containers or trash under bushes or under your home.
• Tires should be placed in  dry covered areas, such as a sheds, garages, etc.,
• Discarded old tires should be disposed of properly at the city landfill.
• Dispose and cover all trash appropriately.

 Protect yourself from mosquito bites:

·         Apply insect repellent to exposed skin. 

·         Spray clothing with repellents containing permethrin or “DEET” since mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing. 

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants whenever you are outdoors.
• Place mosquito netting over infant carriers when you are outdoors with infants.
• Consider staying indoors at dawn, dusk, and in the early evening, which are peak mosquito biting times.  DO NOT SLEEP OUTDOORS. 
• Install or repair window and door screens so that mosquitoes cannot get indoors.

 The CLHD will continue to conduct the following:

·         Spray the city and county in the public right aways.

• Larvacide standing bodies of water.
• Release minnows as a larvae reducing effort.
• Enforce local laws to ensure sanitation and solid waste compliance.
• Provide Health Promotion on sanitation.

 For more information please contact the City of Laredo Health Department’s Environmental Health Division at (956) 795-4904 or Dr. Zaida Gonzalez, Health Educator Supervisor, at (956) 795-4918.