The City of Pittsfield held a community input meeting on Monday, April 29th at the Berkshire Athenaeum’s Auditorium to address concerns and strategies regarding the Mosquito Control Plan. Notable attendees included conservation agent Robert Van Der Car, Public Health Director Andy Cambi, and Dr Andrew Lover, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at UMass Amherst.
Cambi, leading the discussion, outlined the key components of the Mosquito Control Plan, emphasizing the crucial role of surveillance and monitoring. Speaking at the community forum, Cambi said “Surveillance and monitoring, as I mentioned, is very important. It’s the ground work, this is where it starts. It’s the cornerstone of where we start in April, where we are going to continue to make sure that we’re doing an inspection on a weekly basis…Pittsfield is really lucky because we have a long history of surveillance, and we have an opportunity to look back at what we’ve done in the past…So we want to make sure that we do that all the way to the end of September.”
He detailed the designated Mosquito Treatment Zones across the City, underscoring methods such as trapping and testing and source reduction as essential tools for assessing mosquito activity. Highlighting the anticipated high mosquito rates, Cambi offer practical tips for bite prevention, advocating for measures like wearing long clothing, using repellent, and ensuring windows are fitted with screens to safeguard homes.
Concerns from residents including Laura, residing in the Holmes Road in Pomeroy Ave. area, underscored the urgency of the issue for affected neighborhoods. “We are surrounded on three sides, the neighborhood by the river which is constantly overflowing and pooling water, and you can’t get away from the mosquitoes…and I have a compromised immune system, and it is a risk. If one of those mosquitoes bites me I’m at risks. And I’m appalled that people last summer were ignoring the risk and ignoring the advice of the Board of Health.”
Addressing inquiries regarding disease risk, one resident cited concerns about the lack of comprehensive data from the UMass epidemiologist, particularly regarding diseases like West Nile Virus and Eastern equine encephalitis, West of the Worcester area. “There’s been zero cases in Berkshire County, zero in Hampshire County, one in Franklin County, three in Hampden County and four in Worcester County. So everything is the other side of Worcester…There’s very little data showing that we are at risk in this location.” Answering the inquiries, Dr. Lover said “In financial circles, there is a thing about prior returns on investment, have no bearing on future returns.” In response, the resident answered “I’m a biologist and I can tell you that it does have bearing on the ecology of the whole region…and that’s why you don’t have towns joining these Mosquito Districts because they don’t want to get involved in something that’s not really an issue yet.”
Wrapping up the meeting, City Council President Pete White discussed specific spraying techniques mentioning the consideration of backpack spraying for effective mosquito control. “I’d rather see backpack spraying if it’s done, or ATV spraying, versus trucks driving around indiscriminately for the mile around where a mosquito is found…I’d like to see the Department of Public Services involved in this, not just the Health Department.”
