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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1983-07-22 385 SPECIAL BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING JULY 22, 1983 A special meeting of the Board of Health was held July 22, 1983 in Room G-25 of the Town Office Building to discuss the mosquito problem in the Town of Lexington Members present were Mr James W Lambie, Chairman; Linda Roemer, Ph.D , Mr David Henley, Superintendent of East Middlesex Mosquito Control, Mr Fred Friedman and Mr Nicolero (residents of the Town and Mary Smith, clerk of the Board of Health The basic information discussed at this meeting was that Highland J is on the rise in Southeastern Massachusetts EEE isolates likely to be in one or two weeks There has been no solid data on bird virus levels, though Mr Henley has been informed that there have been several birds found dead in streets There is no data yet on tests conducted in Lexington or on species other than culeseta melanura Specimens have been collected from 12 traps (Lexington and environs) since early July Number of culeseta melanura has been lower than in other areas Access problems make truck spraying in remote areas as unfeasible Mr Henley could not say anything in time lag between the last EEE isolate and a possible outbreadk of a human EEE case After further discussion, it was decided to plan on truck mounted spraying in high population areas after EEE virus is isolated in State The likely areas are a) east of Grant St and north of Mass Ave b) Bedford St and 128 area in vicinity of the Tophet Swamp c) Lincoln St - east of and north of Marrett Rd d) Bacon Street area in Southeast Lexington The strategy is to hit residential neighborhoods adjacent to swamps with high mosquito populations If it comes to the time that spraying is necessary, it could be done anytime after 6 00 p.m in the evening until 6 00 a m in the morning The best time is after midnight to avoid traffic and pedestrian problems Mr Henley said he is available at his office before 7 30 a.m He is also avail- able at home Meeting adjourned m 6 SPECIAL BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING JULY 22, 1983 The Lexington Board of Health held a special meeting on Friday, July 22, 1983 at 2 00 p.m in Room G-15 of the Town Office Building Members present were Mr James W Lambie, Chairman; Dr Linda Roemer, Ph D , Mr David Henley, Superin- tendent of E.M M C P Also present were two residents, Mr Manfred Friedman and Mr James A Nicoloro This meeting was called to discuss the current status of the mosquitoes It was stated that the Highland "J" virus is on the rise in South Eastern Massachusetts David Henley discussed what the E.M.M C P is doing with the truck trapping He said they received results of the testing of mosquitoes from this area and the results were negative David said he is trying to increase surveillance in areas where mosquitoes are heavily populated Mr Nicoloro, resident, asked how far these mosquitoes can migrate David said ehy can go as far as a mile for a blood meal They look for damp, shady areas to rest in the daytime Mr Lambie asked how long from the time you first encounter the virus in the mosquitoes that someone is bitten? David said it could be right away and it could also be possible that it would be an area that there are not many mosquitoes David said that there never is a specific answer He said in some of the towns that they have been doing mosquito control, it has become necessary to spray David said they will go back into the Green & White property and make an internal pass He also said the town could have them bring in a helicopter and spray over the land and that would reach places where their trucks could not go This was rejected at this time David said he suggested this because trucks work in neighborhoods not in the wooded areas The strategy would be to hit residential areas (with swamps) with high mosquito populations There were four steps the Board could take in regard to mosquito control 1) Do nothing 2) Do specific areas (in wet areas) 3) Residential areas where mosquitoes are in abundance a) east of grant Street and North of Mass Avenue b) Bedford St and 128 area in vicinity of Trophet Sqamp c) Lincoln St east of and north of Marrett Road d) Bacon St area in S E Lexington Dr Grady had said to have a plan ready and we should be ready to spray if there is any EEE in Massachusetts although at this time he would rather target specific areas than Town-wide i- �1 If Western J comes to Lexington, EEE could follow At this time, it is in the Taunton area The Board wants to come up with an alternative plan - initiate it when it becomes necessary Dr Roemer does not want the Labs to fall back on test results The plan should be on TV to have residents check with the hot-line This could say "SPRAYING WILL BE CONDUCTED ON In case the decision is to spray, David said spraying would be best between dusk or after midnight It was decided it would be best to spray at midnight because at dusk there is outside activities with residents and also there would be traffic David said three truck routes could cover the town at three different times or it could be done simultaneously if he could get a crew together The Board feels if EEE is found in any surrounding towns, we should spray Davis said the Malathion in the form Lexington uses is not harmful After further discussion, the meeting ended at 3 45 p.m.