I guess we didn't have to wait for after the Olympics for the Zika virus to become an issue... Get your skeeter repellent on!

 

NKY Health Department reports first case of Zika virus | Local News - WLWT Home

From Alexandria Police Dept's FB page:

 

The City of Alexandria has learned that someone within our community contracted the Zika virus while traveling. We did not receive word until today that sometime over the weekend the Northern Kentucky Health District directed the Kentucky Department of Agriculture to spray a chemical in and around the neighborhood where this individual lives. The Chemical is called Duet Adultcide and information can be found at http://www.co.hernando.fl.us/mosquito/pdf/Duet_MSDS.pdf

We respect and will protect the privacy of the individual. However, we are concerned that you, the public, were not notified, especially if your home/property was sprayed with an insecticide without your prior knowledge. This chemical has the potential to affect aquatic life and crops according to the manufactures website.

Yes, it is a public health issue. They can and did spray without notification. We feel you should have been notified, so you could keep your doors and windows closed overnight.

If you experience any symptoms of burning, skin or eye irritation, please seek medical treatment immediately. For information relating to symptoms, treatment and exposure to Zika, please go to the CDC's website or Symptoms, Testing, & Treatment | Zika virus | CDC

The City of Alexandria Police Department, the Alexandria Fire District and our partners in Campbell County Emergency Management were NOT notified before today.

If you have questions, please contact the PD or FD at the following numbers. The information we have can be found:

http://www.cdc.gov/zika/pdfs/fs-zika-basics.pdf

Fact Sheets and Posters | Zika virus | CDC

City of Alexandria, KY Police Department - (859) 635-4126

Alexandria Fire District - (859) 635-5991

 

Comments:

City of Alexandria, Kentucky Police Department: The law is on the side of Public Health. They control this issue, not us. We always respect the privacy of the individual(s) involved but feel there is also a responsibility to notify the public at large of the threat. Having said that though, we are assured and we do believe, the individual(s) involved have been instructed to stay sheltered in place until given the all clear from their Doctor. The virus has proliferated itself all through Florida, especially in the Miami area. They are dealing with it openly and honestly. Secrecy is dangerous and often the downfall of government. That's why our city departments felt so strongly about getting this info out. We do not feel there is a huge public threat at this point. We do believe that if you contract flu like symptoms, you should see your PCP as soon as possible. Only testing can confirm or deny the existence of the virus.

City of Alexandria, Kentucky Police Department We have been refused any additional information, location, neighborhood, north, south, east or west. The Northern Kentucky Health District refused to share that information with first responders. The only confirmation we did receive was "it was within the incorporated limits of the City of Alexandria.

 

City of Alexandria, Kentucky Police Department: We are doing our best and will have more information posted on the cities website tomorrow. Our counterparts in Miami-Dade Florida have been helpful since they have been dealing with this for some time now. We are working to get you more information and may even link you to some of their sites in the AM hours. We're doing our best...

 

And from WCPO:

 

Alexandria officials frustrated by lack of communication about Zika case - Story

 

An act of precautionary pest control set Alexandria, Kentucky officials abuzz Tuesday, when they said they had not been informed of Zika-related mosquito spraying near the city.

 

The spraying, which was performed by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, was a response to a confirmed case of Zika virus within Alexandria, according to an email from the Northern Kentucky Department of Health to Alexandria Mayor William Rachford Jr.

 

The person with the virus contracted it abroad and there was no reason to believe local mosquitoes were infected, Steven Divine wrote in the email, but the Department of Agriculture would perform mosquito spraying in a small area near that person’s residence for the sake of safety.

 

“This is a one time precautionary spraying to reduce chances of the individual being bitten by local mosquitoes during the window of time the person could transmit the virus in this manner,” Devine wrote. “The Kentucky Department of Ag does not give notification prior to spraying, however, I wanted to make you aware of the situation since it is within your city limits."

 

So what’s the problem?

 

Alexandria Police Chief Michael Ward said the mayor did not read the email until late Monday night. Although he told other officials about it as soon as he saw the message, by the time the information got out, the spraying had been done.

 

Ward said Divine should have contacted public safety departments, rather than the mayor, about the Zika case and the preventative spraying.

 

“Without identifying the individual and protecting their right to privacy, we also have to protect the community at large,” he said. “Just let them know, if you get sick, don’t necessarily discount it.”

 

Ward and Alexandria Fire Chief Jeff Pohlman said that first responders have a right to know the general area around the confirmed Zika case.

 

“I would like to have some kind of information, knowing how to protect my personnel if something would happen,” Pohlman said.

 

Steven Divine said the spray does not pose a threat to people or pets, and there is no indication that Tri-State mosquitoes are transmitting Zika. Mosquito spraying, Divine said, is a frequent feature of community protection plans.

 

“This is something that happens statewide numerous times,” he said.

“The Kentucky Department of Ag does not give notification prior to spraying, however, I wanted to make you aware of the situation since it is within your city limits."

 

The below is directly copied from the EPA website:

 

Notification of pesticide use by public authorities in public places | NSW EPA

 

 

Notification of pesticide use by public authorities in public places

icon - notification The Pesticides Regulation 2009 requires public authorities, such as local councils and government agencies, to notify the community, in accordance with a notification plan, when they use or allow the use of pesticides in public places that are owned or controlled by the public authority.

 

These rules are based on the principle that people who live and work in an area have a basic right to know when public places in the area are treated with pesticides. Notifying people about pesticide applications means they can make informed decisions, for example, parents with young children may choose to delay a visit to the playground if they know pesticides have been applied that day.

 

Notifying members of the public about pesticide use before it happens does not mean that they can prevent the use of pesticides in the area. The aim of notification is to allow people to choose to reduce their exposure to pesticides if they wish. Notifying the community is now internationally recognised as best practice in pesticides management.

Seems to me that 9 On Your Side would find this EPA regulation interesting given that the State of Kentucky's Department of Agriculture does not seem to recognize it.....