The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) recently announced that the City of Sidney was awarded a 2022 Mosquito Control Grant Award in the amount of $22,000.00. The grant program was developed to help local health departments and governments implement mosquito control programs to reduce the risk of mosquito-borne diseases.
The funding was awarded for work in four categories: mosquito surveillance, larval control, adult control and community education and outreach. In the mosquito surveillance category staff will be create detailed maps depicting mosquito trap coordinates, larvaciding dunk locations as well as details on locations where mosquito reports have been registered. Funding from the larval and adult control categories will be used to purchase supplies used to combat mosquito growth and development. For the community outreach and education component residents will be seeing billboards throughout the community in mid-summer to share tips on ways to reduce mosquito breeding sites as well as ways to protect yourself when outdoor.
The mosquito control program is a collaborative effort between Ohio EPA and the Ohio Department of Health. The funding helps communities mitigate the spread of mosquito-borne viruses such as Zika, West Nile, and La Cross Encephalitis.