State won’t be spraying for mosquitoes in Genesee County – MLive.com

FlintUpdated Oct 01, 2019; Posted Oct 01, 2019 The Saginaw News/MLive.comA plane from Ovid-based Al’s Aerial Spraying provides aerial mosquito-killing treatment over a wooded area in Saginaw Township on Tuesday, April 18, 2017. (Jeff Schrier | MLive.com)FENTON, MI — The state withdrew its offer for aerial pesticide treatment in Genesee County after learning the local municipality where a deer was found with a potentially deadly mosquito-borne illness offers its own mosquito defense.If other cases arise in Genesee County, however, the state would remake the offer and the county would consider it, officials said.Areal pesticide spray has been offered for areas in 15 counties across Michigan in response to the ongoing Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) outbreak. Animal cases of EEE have been identified in Genesee, Lapeer and Livingston counties.The Genesee County Health Department confirmed last week that a deer with EEE in Genesee County was found in Fenton Township and euthanized.While Lapeer, southern Livingston and northern Washtenaw counties are included on the state’s list for aerial spraying, Genesee County was ultimately not granted the same offer due to the prompt response by Fenton Township’s contracted mosquito abatement company, the county health department said in a news release Tuesday, Oct. 1.The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services notified the Genesee County Health Department Saturday, September 26, that it was holding off on the aerial insecticide spray offer in Genesee County, the Oct. 1 news release states.The county health department “concurred with this decision,” the release states.Additional mosquito spraying and the setting of additional traps within a two-mile radius of where the deer was found was included in the response by the company contracted by Fenton Township, the release states. Trapped mosquitoes to the Michigan State University laboratory to test for EEE and the West Nile Virus.All test results were negative for both diseases.The city of Fenton, Fenton Township, city of Linden, Gaines Township and Montrose Township are included in municipalities contracted by APM Mosquito Control. The company also serves Rich Township in Lapeer County.Lynn Sutfin, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, confirmed that, after learning about the local response, the state withdrew the offer for additional aerial spraying.“Yes, if additional cases were found in Genesee, we would again offer to provide treatment,” Sutfin said.In Lapeer County, a horse was identified with the disease. Southern Livingston and northern Washtenaw counties have recently been added to this list of East Michigan Counties to be sprayed by the state after a 3-year-old horse in Hamburg Township was infected with EEE.The infected horse in Lapeer County was found in the Lum area near Arcadia Township. Originally scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 29, spraying in Lapeer County was postponed due to rain.Lapeer County could now be treated as early as tonight but only in the event of inclement weather in tonight’s planned zones. Otherwise, they will not be treated tonight.The following zones are scheduled for tonight:Area 2-1 in Barry CountyArea 3-1 in Berrien CountyArea 4-1 in Calhoun CountyAreas 5-1 and 5-2 in Cass CountyArea 12-1 in St. Joseph CountyArea 13-1 in Van Buren County