The warm weather is here, freezies have made their highly anticipated return and kids can be seen running through sprinklers. Ahhh, summer is back!

As you get your tank tops and flip flops out of winter storage, CK Public Health will be busy setting up mosquito traps around Chatham-Kent as part of our annual West Nile Virus surveillance program.

While West Nile Virus is known to be present in Chatham-Kent and across Southern Ontario, it is important to monitor virus activity. Starting June 13, CK Public Health will begin setting up mosquito traps in populated areas around Chatham-Kent in order to track virus activity, especially mid to late summer when virus transmission has had a chance to peak in the mosquito population.

But don’t let those annoying mosquitos ruin your summer plans!

You can reduce your personal risk by doing the following:

• Wear long sleeves and pants
• Use a bug spray with deet
• Avoid areas and times with high mosquito activity
• Prevent standing water on your property

You worry about keeping your freezie from melting and we’ll worry about preventing mosquito breeding by treating municipal catch basins. Now that sounds like a win win!

Looking for more info on West Nile Virus? Check it out here!