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July 8, 2006
Metropolitan Board of Health
311 23rd Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37203
Dear Health Board members,
Roadside spraying needlessly spends taxpayer dollars since few mosquitoes rest in vegetation along roads. Spraying is essentially a "feel good" measure in response to overly concerned citizens.
Anti-spray groups like No Spray Nashville have made a good case against the use of mosquito adulticides, arguing that spraying impacts more people's health than rare mosquito-borne pathogens ever will. Far more effective control measures include larviciding with methoprene briquets in standing water where mosquito larvae have been detected and simply emptying open outdoor containers frequently during warm seasons (or encouraging your neighbors to do so).
For us, the great majority of mosquitoes are just an annoyance and we should be thankful that foreign travelers to Tennessee are not required to be vaccinated against yellow fever or to take prophylactic drugs to avoid malaria.
Sincerely,
C. Steven Murphree, Ph.D.
Department of Biology Belmont University
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