NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Officials at Metro Public Health said they've seen an increase in the number of calls about mosquito problems.
Recent rains have created perfect breeding ground for the pesky insects and many residents are concerned about the potential for West Nile Virus.
Metro Public Health officials are taking those concerns seriously and have been out looking for standing pools of water, the perfect breeding ground for mosquitos. When officials find these pools, they apply a larvicide to keep any eggs from hatching. They've also been trapping mosquitos since May and sending them to a lab for testing. One batch has come back positive for West Nile, but so far no human cases are being reported.
"This is the time of year August and September and even early October when we would start to find mosquitos carrying West Nile, so even though we haven't seen a lot of it so far it's something we want the community to be aware of," said Brian Todd with the Metro Health Department.
Officials also said that bird baths, gutters even children's toys that have been sitting out in the rain can create breeding grounds for mosquitos. When it comes to West Nile they say the best protection is wearing pants and long sleeves.
