Guy Meilleur
Addicted to ArboristSite
A note from Florida--big news for those of us with weakened immune systems, and a gentle warning to those who expose their skin needlessly:
As of September 4, 2004, twenty-six cases of West Nile virus infection
have been confirmed in residents of seven Florida counties. While this
is far less than last year, recent heavy wet weather in Florida will
result in a surge in mosquito populations, as already seen in areas
affected by Hurricane Charley.
As of the above date, Brevard, Broward, Duval, Gadsden, Hillsborough and
Miami-Dade counties are under medical alert for mosquito-borne diseases.
*Many* more counties have reported arbovirus activity in sentinel flocks.
Please review the most recent Department of Health Arbovirus Summary on
the UF/IFAS Pest Alert site for the listing of counties with arbrovirus
activity.
If you haven't done so already, then *now* is the time to take serious
percautions against mosquito bites. Remember to wear long sleeves and
trousers. It is easy to take a shower and wash off the sweat. You can't
do that with an arbrovirus. Please see the Pest Alert Arbovirus Summary
page for recommendations on repellents and larval site reduction.
Pass this word on to your friends and neighbors as you help them remove
the debris, deal with loss of water and power and cope with personal
tragedies. And thank God, or the Prime Cause of Everything that you
believe in, that while technology doesn't always mean progress, at least
it let us know Charley and Frances were coming. As a result, the number
of deaths was minimized. On this date in 1900, the residents of Texas,
near Galveston, didn't know a hurricane was coming, and 5,000 people
died (see below). But then, just as now, helped poured in for the
homeless and injured.
No praise is too great for the men and women who left their families to
serve the community, while the rest of us pulled in our heads to ride
out the storm. As a result, order was maintained, the streets are being
cleared, power is being restored, food and water is available (if not
out of the tap), and life goes on.
The UF/IFAS Pest Alert WWW site is available at
http://extlab7.entnem.ufl.edu/PestAlert/
As of September 4, 2004, twenty-six cases of West Nile virus infection
have been confirmed in residents of seven Florida counties. While this
is far less than last year, recent heavy wet weather in Florida will
result in a surge in mosquito populations, as already seen in areas
affected by Hurricane Charley.
As of the above date, Brevard, Broward, Duval, Gadsden, Hillsborough and
Miami-Dade counties are under medical alert for mosquito-borne diseases.
*Many* more counties have reported arbovirus activity in sentinel flocks.
Please review the most recent Department of Health Arbovirus Summary on
the UF/IFAS Pest Alert site for the listing of counties with arbrovirus
activity.
If you haven't done so already, then *now* is the time to take serious
percautions against mosquito bites. Remember to wear long sleeves and
trousers. It is easy to take a shower and wash off the sweat. You can't
do that with an arbrovirus. Please see the Pest Alert Arbovirus Summary
page for recommendations on repellents and larval site reduction.
Pass this word on to your friends and neighbors as you help them remove
the debris, deal with loss of water and power and cope with personal
tragedies. And thank God, or the Prime Cause of Everything that you
believe in, that while technology doesn't always mean progress, at least
it let us know Charley and Frances were coming. As a result, the number
of deaths was minimized. On this date in 1900, the residents of Texas,
near Galveston, didn't know a hurricane was coming, and 5,000 people
died (see below). But then, just as now, helped poured in for the
homeless and injured.
No praise is too great for the men and women who left their families to
serve the community, while the rest of us pulled in our heads to ride
out the storm. As a result, order was maintained, the streets are being
cleared, power is being restored, food and water is available (if not
out of the tap), and life goes on.
The UF/IFAS Pest Alert WWW site is available at
http://extlab7.entnem.ufl.edu/PestAlert/
