OAKDALE LEADER
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

By M.C. NAYLOR
Wednesday, August 31, 2005 10:21 AM PDT

It's h-e-r-e-e!!

For Oakdale and other East Side residents in Riverbank and Waterford who have not been attuned to the spread of West Nile Virus in the Central Valley, officials are reminding them that precautions are highly recommended to prevent mosquito bites, which are the known source for WNV.

On Tuesday, the first publicly known East Side victim of West Nile Virus in Stanislaus County came forward in Oakdale to warn residents that there are, in all probability, infected mosquitoes here. This week also marks a ratcheting up of the spraying efforts by the East Side Mosquito Abatement District (ESMAD) to suppress the breeding of the insects that carry WNV, with spraying scheduled within the city limits of Oakdale.

Spraying for mosquitoes will begin in Riverbank on Thursday, Sept. 1, and move to Oakdale this Friday, Sept. 2, announced Lloyd Douglass, manager of the ESMAD, Aug. 30. This takes place after a week of intensive spraying in the rural areas around these communities to hit the mosquito habitats that are being disrupted by the start of harvesting.

Oakdale residents can expect the entire city to be fogged with the insecticide that kills mosquito larva and adult mosquitoes. This will take place between 3- and 5 a.m.

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