Union County government and the county vector control program deserve a heap of praise for the way they’ve dealt with the local mosquito problem and attendant threats of West Nile virus.

County residents may remember that mosquito populations posed a real threat to public health last summer. There were at least four confirmed cases of West Nile virus, and likely many other cases that went unreported.

In August, the board of county commissioners took decisive action, declaring a state of emergency, mobilizing a response team and mounting a massive public education effort.

Vector Control Coordinator Kelly Beehler spearheaded the fight, monitoring mosquito populations and arranging for aerial spraying in critical areas around La Grande, Elgin, Imbler and Union. Some 21,000 acres were treated in August.

Although aerial spraying is controversial, the measures no doubt had positive impact, but the fight is far from over. This year, high water levels and heavy precipitation have combined to help mosquito populations grow anew. The conditions have combined to produce a “bumper crop” of mosquitoes, according to Beehler.

Again, the county is taking aggressive steps to contain the threat. Last month, an airplane sprayed 20,000 acres, primarily in rural areas of Imbler and Union and in overflow from the Grande Ronde River and Catherine and Willow creeks.

Beehler recently reported the spraying had good effect. The number of mosquitoes found in traps declined dramatically, indicating a large reduction in mosquito numbers.

The effort to keep the mosquito population down will continue with ground spraying, and, if necessary, more aerial spraying later in the summer. All efforts combined should reduce the chances of people getting sick from mosquito bites.

This isn’t to say the West Nile danger is past. People owe it to themselves to empty or frequently change any standing water outside the home, fix or empty broken swimming pools, wear long-sleeved shirts and pants and insect repellent with DEET, particularly at dawn and dusk, and install or fix any broken window screens, especially for windows that are left open at night.

Those common-sense precautions, combined with fine work being done by Union County, will go a long way toward lowering the risk of disease.

Working together, the community can beat West Nile.