Topics in Brief
A Community Bulletin

Free 15-minute consultations with an attorney will be available on Thursday, September 9, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at County Connection, Route 33 at Paxson Avenue, Hamilton, in the Acme shopping center. Sponsored by Lawyers CARE, a program dedicated to educating the public about their legal rights sponsored by the Mercer County Bar Association, the consultations are on a first-come, first-served basis. Attorneys will be available to answer questions on family law, criminal law, bankruptcy, real estate law, personal injury law, landlord/tenant law, municipal court law, and other issues. For more information, call the Mercer County Bar Association at (609) 586-2500 or visit www.mercerbar.com.

Mercer County residents are at greater risk for West Nile virus through September this year because of recent high infection rates noted in sample populations of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes collected weekly by Mercer County Mosquito Control are sent to the New Jersey Department of Health to be tested for West Nile virus. The results are then used to track and respond with control measures to the virus in Mercer County. “This year we are seeing many more mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus than usual,” said Mercer County entomologist Ary Farajollahi. “Infection rates in the mosquito populations are higher than we have seen in recent years, and this year the infection rate is more than ten times higher than last year.” This means if a person is bitten by a mosquito, there is a greater chance that it will be carrying West Nile virus. Mercer County Mosquito Control has increased its control efforts in areas where the infected mosquitoes are found. In addition, they have been applying mosquito adulticides to kill the infected mosquitoes before they can transmit the virus. While there have not been any human cases of West Nile in Mercer County this year, residents are urged to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Stay indoors during peak mosquito hours, especially at dusk and dawn, wear long sleeves and pants to cover exposed skin, use an EPA-registered mosquito repellent containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus when outside, and drain all standing water around your home to eliminate mosquito habitats.

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