Vector Control Programs

Mosquito Control Program

As complaints are received by the Health Department, they are investigated as quickly as possible. Complaints can be filed on the City of Joplin-Citizen Request Website or by contacting the Joplin Health Department at 417-623-6122. The complaints are investigated by one of Joplin’s Certified Environmental Health Specialists. The CEHS will discuss the issue with resident and survey the surrounding area for problems and determine what action should be taken. It is the responsibility of the landowner and/or lessee to prevent conditions that allow for the breeding and harborage of mosquitoes. All health department efforts to reduce mosquito populations will only be partially effective unless citizen involvement occurs. The individual resident can do more to control mosquitoes around their home than all other methods combined.

Protecting Your Family from Mosquitoes

Adulticide Application

Mosquito adulticide application is complaint driven. Using Geographic Information Systems, GIS the Health department can map complaints and larvacide application. As complaints begin to appear in a centralized location the Health Department can then decide if adulticide application is necessary.

Adulticide Application will typically take place between 4:00am – 7:00am. Adulticiding is also dependant on weather conditions, ideal conditions being little to no wind and no chance of rain in the immediate forecast. Areas scheduled to be fogged will be posted in this section.

Mosquito Larvaciding

What is larvacide?

Larvacide is a biological method of controlling mosquito populations. It contains bacteria that is eaten by mosquito larvae and prevents them from developing into adult mosquitoes. It should be applied to standing water such as bird baths, tree holes, ponds etc. Larvacide targets mosquito larva and is not harmful to the surrounding environment or animals.

You can get larvicide at...
Local Home Improvement Stores

Additional Information

·         http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentMosquitoTick.aspx

·         http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/mosfaq.htm

·         Additional literature can be obtained at the Joplin Health Department 321 E 4th Street Joplin Missouri.

West Nile Virus (WNV)

West Nile Virus (WNV) is a potentially serious illness that can be passed from infected mosquitoes. WNV is present in the Joplin area. Cases typically peak late summer into the early fall. Most people infected with WNV show no symptoms or very mild symptoms. Residents with underlying health conditions or residents over the age of 50 are at most risk to develop serious illness. CDC reports that less than 1% of the reported cases fall in the serious illness category. Click here to learn more about WNV and prevention measures you can take.

·          http://www.dhss.mo.gov/WestNileVirus/

·         http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm

[Back to top]

Tick and Tick Born Illness

Gardening, camping, hiking, just playing outdoors – These are all great spring and summertime activities, but don't forget about the ticks that may be in the same environment. Fortunately there are several tactics you can use to prevent tick bites and reduce your risk of tick-borne disease. Some of the more common diseases that you can get from a tick bite include (listed alphabetically):

·         Babesiosis

·         Ehrlichiosis

·         Lyme disease

·         Rocky Mountain spotted fever

·         Southern tick-associated rash illness

·         Tick-borne relapsing fever

·         Tularemia Tick-borne diseases can occur worldwide. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to protect yourself and your family.

Protect Yourself from Tick Bites

·         Know where to expect ticks. Ticks live in moist and humid environments, particularly in or near wooded or grassy areas. You may come into contact with ticks during outdoor activities around your home or when walking through vegetation such as leaf litter or shrubs. Always walk in the center of trails, in order to avoid ticks.

·         Use a repellent with DEET (on skin or clothing) or permethrin (on clothing) and wear long sleeves, long pants and socks. Products containing permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing and camping gear which can remain protective through several washings. Repellents containing 20% or more DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) can be applied to the skin, and they can protect up to several hours. Always follow product instructions! Parents should apply this product to their children, avoiding the hands, eyes, and mouth.

·         Wear light-colored clothing, which allows you to see ticks crawling on your clothing.

·         Tuck your pant legs into your socks so that ticks cannot crawl up inside of your pant legs. Some ticks can crawl down into shoes and are small enough to crawl through most socks. When traveling in areas with lone star ticks (which are associated with Southern tick-associated rash illness, ehrlichiosis, and possibly Rocky Mountain spotted fever) you should examine your feet and ankles to ensure that ticks are not attached.  

Perform Daily Tick Checks

·         Check your body for ticks after being outdoors, even in your own yard. Conduct a body check upon return from potentially tick-infested areas by searching your entire body for ticks. Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body and remove any tick you find. Check these parts of your body and your child's body for ticks:

·         Under the arms

·         In and around the ears

·         Inside belly button

·         Back of the knees

·         Under the arms

·         In and around the hair

·         Between the legs

·         Around the waist

Check your children for ticks, especially in the hair, when returning from potentially tick-infested areas. See the list above for the places on your child's body to check for ticks. Remove any tick you find on your child's body.

Check your clothing and pets for ticks.
Ticks may be carried into the house on clothing and pets. Both should be examined carefully, and any ticks that are found should be removed. Placing clothes into a dryer on high heat effectively kills ticks. See the "Prevent ticks on animals" section of this page for more information. 

What to Do If You Are Bitten by a Tick

Remove an attached tick as soon as you notice it. Watch for signs of illness such as rash or fever, and see a health care provider if these develop. For fully detailed information about tick removal, see the Rocky Mountain spotted fever Web site.

Your risk of acquiring a tick-borne illness depends on many factors, including where you live, what type of tick bit you, and how long the tick was attached. If you become ill after a tick bite, see a health care provider.

Reduce Ticks in Your Yard

·         Modify your landscape to create Tick-Safe Zones. To do this, keep play areas and playground equipment away from shrubs, bushes, and other vegetation. Also, regularly remove leaf litter and clear tall grasses and brush around homes, and place wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas to keep ticks away from recreational areas.

·         Provide a vegetation-free play area. Keep play areas and playground equipment away from away from shrubs, bushes, and other vegetation.

·         Use a chemical control agent. Effective tick control chemicals are available for use by the homeowner, or they can be applied by a professional pest control expert, and even limited applications can greatly reduce the number of ticks. A single springtime application of acaricide can reduce the population of ticks that cause Lyme disease by 68–100%.

·         Discourage deer. Removing plants that attract deer and constructing physical barriers may help discourage deer from entering your yard and bringing ticks with them.

Additional Information

·         http://www.dhss.mo.gov/TicksCarryDisease/

·         http://www.dhss.mo.gov/TicksCarryDisease/TickPoster8_5x11ForWeb.pdf

·         http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/ld_prevent.htm

·         http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/tick-borne/ 

·         http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/mosquitorepellent.htm

Bed Bugs

While bed bugs are not known to transmit disease, their presence in unwelcome and has presented difficult challenges and distress to many people. Experts suspect the resurgence is associated with international and domestic travel, lack of knowledge necessary to prevent infestations, increased resistance of bed bugs to pesticides and ineffective pest control practices. For more information on bed bugs consult the following web page:  EPA-Bed Bugs .