HEALTH DEPARTMENT DECIDES TO STOP SPRAYING AFTER INEFFECTIVENESS OF SPRAYING IS EXPOSED

No Spray Nashville delivered a summary of the Health Department's records to the Metro Council's Health and Hospital committee in December 2008 and exposed the Health Department's poor preventative protocol and lack of effectiveness of the 2008 spraying in Antioch. ( Click here for details.) Two council members volunteered to come with us to talk with the Director of Health, Dr. Bill Paul, to ask for improvements.

The end result was that Dr. Paul admitted that the Health Department did not get the result they had hoped for after spraying in 2008. He also agreed that West Nile virus was not and has not been a serious threat in Nashville. After we pointed to records showing that less toxic measures were not taken prior to spraying, he agreed that they should do a better job with less toxic measures before resorting to spraying. He later made the announcement that they would raise the threshold for spraying. In 2009, they did not spray and we expect that if the new threshold is upheld that spraying is unlikely in the future.

We have to commend Dr. Paul for doing what no other health official in Nashville was willing to do. It took six years and a new director for the Metro Public Health Department to finally use science, common sense, and their own records to make wise decisions. We do caution citizens that some new mosquito borne illness scare or a change in management could impede this progress. We pledge to keep an eye on their mosquito control program and to report back on how they are doing with less toxic prevention.

The Health Department still has not created detailed protocols like many cities that do not spray have. They should do this to help avoid the protocol failures they had in the past. We hope this will change as we continue to monitor their records and schedule meetings in the future with them.

EXCELLENT TIPS FOR MOSQUITO CONTROL

We highly recommend that citizens take advantage of the most effective and economic form of mosquito control (source: the Center for Disease Control) - go outside, look for, and dump standing water. See our Neighborhood Flyer for a number of excellent mosquito control tips. Share our flyer with your neighbors. Remember - a mosquito that cannot hatch cannot bite!

BEWARE OF EXTERMINATING COMPANIES MAKING PROMISES OF "MOSQUITO-FREE" OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENTS

There are some new local franchises (like Mosquito Squad and BuzzOff) that will come spray your yard every 21 days or install a misting system. Any company that makes mosquito-free claims is looking to make money on people's fears. Not only will it hurt your pocket book, it is a risk to your health and the environment. If your backyard is full of mosquitoes, you have a breeding ground close by. Does it make sense to use poison over and over or eliminate the source of the problem and use personal protection? See our Neighborhood Flyer link (above) to learn about safe and effective mosquito control. Knowledge is power!

JUDGE RULES METRO SPRAY TRUCK DRIVER BREACHED HIS DUTY AND WAS NEGLIGENT IN PEDESTRIAN SPRAYING INCIDENT. Metro must pay for the man's emergency room visits. Click here for article!

LEARN FROM THE PAST - VOW TO NEVER LET OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT VIOLATE OUR TRUST AND OUR HEALTH AGAIN
From 2003-2008, Nashville's Metro Public Health Department violated federal law, sprayed pedestrians with pesticides, failed to follow their own policies, and constantly failed to use common sense protocols when trying to manage mosquitoes. Click here to learn more about these violations.

LEARN THE FACTS ABOUT human WEST NILE VIRUS (WNV):
1. About 80% have no symptoms, 20% have mild symtpoms (a fever), less than 1 in 150 have serious symptoms. (Source: CDC)

2. Read about immunity to West NIle virus. (Source: CDC) Health officials in the east say human transmission is less common partly due to the fact that many have had WNv and have immunity.

3. There is no scientific evidence that shows spraying reduces human transmission.

4. If you want to protect yourself from mosquitoes and West Nile virus, your best bet is to find and dump standing water and wear repellent.

	Risks: West Nile versus Pesticide Use
	Why other cities have chosen not to spray
	Non-toxic, effective ways to get mosquitoes to quit bugging you
	Upcoming Events
	Great links for more information

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