Blytheville is still West Nile Virus-free, according to Vector Disease Control's Tim Nelson.
Last month, Nelson told the Blytheville City Council that Vector got a scare when a renter in town reported she had a high volume of mosquitoes and smelled sewage.
Nelson treated the sewage leak and the gravid traps showed there were indeed Culex mosquitoes -- the type that carries West Nile Virus.
However, Friday afternoon, he said the mosquitoes did not test positive for the disease and the problem has been solved.
"I talked to the landlord, she was extremely nice," Nelson said. "She got it fixed immediately. That's all taken care of and behind us. We're still keeping an eye on it and setting a trap there just in case."
The scare came on the heels of a major West Nile outbreak in Dallas, Texas. It has been reported that so far this year, there have been nearly 800 cases of the illness and 22 deaths in a 10-county area in North Texas.
Meanwhile, Nelson said Vector has set gravid traps all over town to keep up with the types and counts of mosquitoes. He said the company is doing all it can to avoid West Nile cases here.
"There's no guarantees that we can keep it away because of the circumstances," Nelson said. "But we're definitely setting traps and keeping up with it to try to keep it away. We've got a better chance than the people that don't do anything."
He pointed out drought conditions actually help the West Nile-carrying mosquitoes.
Nelson said it is critical to check for sewage leaks and standing water that can breed the dangerous biting bugs.
He encouraged residents to keep an eye on buckets, old tires and clean up trash piles.
Nelson noted there are some preventive measures individuals can take to lower mosquito counts around their homes:
-- Fill in low areas that hold rain water
-- Dump water off of tarps, toys, buckets, unused wading pools, flower pots, etc.
-- Keep gutters clean and unclogged
-- Look for areas that drain underneath your house after a rain. Under houses is a haven for mosquitoes.
-- Keep lids on outside trash cans, drill small drainage holes on the bottoms and if found holding water, dump it
-- Replace bird bath water every other day
-- Keep alleys clean of debris and mowed
-- Trim back bushes near doorways
-- Discard old tires
-- Put holes in bottom of tire swings for drainage
-- Repair any sewage leaks immediately
Meanwhile, Nelson also requested that residents not stop the mosquito spray trucks because it is unsafe.
He asked, instead, that those with concerns to call the Vector office at 870-532-9102.
mbrafield@blythevillecourier.com