Baltimore City is advising residents that some areas will undergo mosquito spraying Sunday night.
Residents between Coolidge Avenue and Benson Avenue and Sharonleigh Road to S. Grantley Street are being advised to remain indoors tonight after 10 p.m. while the city conducts mosquito control truck-based spraying.
The service is the result of growing concerns over the potential for mosquito-borne diseases, including West Nile virus and Zika virus, according to the Baltimore City Health Department and Maryland Department of Agriculture.
During the spraying, and up to two hours after, residents, including small children and pets, are being told to remain indoors. Residents should close windows and HVAC vents and bring pet dishes, feeders, and children's toys indoors, the city advises.
In addition, any existing spray exemptions in the area will be temporarily suspended.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we will be conducting mosquito control activities Sunday evening in areas within the Violetville neighborhood and urge residents in the designated area to remain indoors during this spraying period," said Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen in a release. "We can all play a part in preventing mosquitoes from breeding by eliminating standing water in our communities. This remains an all hands on deck moment for our city."
There have been 77 cases of Zika in Maryland — all of the cases have been related to travel, officials said recently. Nationally, there have been 2,517 cases of Zika reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including more than 40 cases of Zika attributed to local mosquito bites in Florida. There have been 9,011 cases in U.S. territories including Puerto Rico.
Tonight's testing also comes on the heels of Friday's recommendation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that all donated blood and blood components soon be tested for the mosquito-borne virus.
Testing of the blood supply already has begun in Florida and in Puerto Rico. The FDA recommended 11 other states begin testing in the next month and the rest of the country — including Maryland — begin testing within 12 weeks.
For information in Baltimore City, please contact the Baltimore City Health Department's Bureau of Environmental Health at 410-396-4428, health.baltimorecity.gov/zika-virus, or 311.