Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW New fire-season regs take effect Thursday ... Oregon reaps $85 million in VW settlement ... Since You Asked: Little demand for fish-cleaning station at Willow Lake ... New fire-season regs take effect Thursday ... Oregon reaps $85 million in VW settlement ... Since You Asked: Little demand for fish-cleaning station at Willow Lake ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: Vector Control committed to protecting public health Comment By James J. Lunders MailTribune.com By James J. Lunders Posted Jun. 12, 2016 at 12:01 AM By James J. Lunders Posted Jun. 12, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Mosquito-borne pathogens kill people! Roughly 750,000 people, mostly children in impoverished countries, died last year because they were infected with a disease transmitted by the bite of a mosquito. Closer to home, West Nile virus has been identified in Jackson County in eight of the past 11 years. Besides making people sick, annoyance from mosquitoes decreases tourism and lowers productivity in livestock; they can even make some areas unlivable. But lots of things are dangerous and cause physical and economic harm. We don’t have county-wide programs to control them, so why do mosquitoes get all this special attention? Simple: They fly. Because they fly, often long distances, individuals can’t effectively control them on their own. Individuals can play a part, and no program can be effective without the help of the public, but mosquitoes cannot be effectively controlled by any means other than an organized, area-wide program. Recognizing this, the citizens of Jackson County voted to form the Jackson County Vector Control District (JCVCD) in 1968. For the 47 years since control measures began in 1969, the employees of JCVCD have been committed to protecting the citizens of the district by urging the public to take an active role in the reduction of mosquito populations, eliminating mosquito breeding sources, and applying safe, effective, Environmental Protection Agency-registered insecticides judiciously. Recently there have been statements made that mislead the public into thinking the EPA-registered products used by the district are far more dangerous than they are. We encourage the public to visit www.epa.gov/endocrine-disruption to see for themselves that none of the public health pesticides used by the district has been shown to be an endocrine disruptor. The National Pesticide Information Center, www.npic.orst.edu ,is also a great resource for risk information on the products we use. In addition to the products we use being registered by EPA, the district itself falls under the regulation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Oregon Fire Marshal, Oregon Secretary of State Audits Division, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). These multiple layers of regulation were put in place to ensure that public health pesticides are applied in a safe and effective manner without undue risk to the public or the environment. Integrated pest management (IPM) is fully supported by the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, ODFW, and OHA. IPM is a system where education, source reduction, biological control, surveillance, larval control and adult control measures are all used in concert to effectively control mosquito populations. Not only is this the most effective, economical and environmentally responsible method to control mosquito populations, it is also how we are legally required to perform mosquito control. The JCVCD will continue to perform our primary goal of protecting public health from the diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. We encourage the public to help us in this effort by removing containers that hold water from around their homes, stocking water troughs and ornamental ponds with fish, managing irrigation water to minimize standing water, wearing loose-fitting, light-colored clothing and EPA-registered insect repellent when outdoors, especially at dusk and dawn, and reporting mosquito problems or dead birds to the office. Please visit our website at www.JCVCD.org for more information, and thank you for helping us keep our community safe from mosquito borne disease. James J. Lunders is manager and biologist for the Jackson County Vector Control District. By James J. Lunders MailTribune.com By James J. Lunders Posted Jun. 12, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501