West Nile Virus

Clarification Letter

Larvicide License Renewals

On March 29, 2001, This letter was sent to all Highway Maintenance, Public Works, Cemetery, Parks & Trees, Superintendent, Health Agents & Directors/Utility Supervisors/Water &Sewer/Conservation etc by Steven Antunes-Kenyon, Mark S. Buffone, & John Kenney of DFA's West Nile Virus Larviciding Training Program.

Recently, you were sent a package of information and renewed special licenses pertaining to West Nile Virus. Due to this being a new process, there appears to be some confusion.

1. Do not send back the licenses. These are licenses that permit the person named to legally use dry formulations of recommended mosquito larvicides during 2001 for the purpose of controlling mosquito suspected of transmitting West Nile Virus. A number of communities have mailed back or faxed signed originals. The idea is to insure that the person named will have the original license on their person when they make treatments to catch basins. For example, you must possess a driver’s license while driving a motor vehicle.

2. Your license was mailed to you or your Department address. If you received a special license last year, you were mailed one for the year 2001. The licenses were sent to the same address. However, a number of folks who work in the same building or at the same address may be in a different division or department. You might pursue looking for your license down the hall so to speak if you still have not received it. For example, three licenses may have been sent to the same address. Two are for two persons working in the DPW but one of the licenses goes to someone who works for the Board of Health at the same address. We were trying to save time and work by combining licenses to one address.

Please pass the word along to administrative folks that if they receive mail for a couple of Divisions or Department to distribute accordingly. We will probably send future mailings to every license holder.

An important 6-page cover letter was sent too. Do not separate or at a minimum circulate. Some folks have called us because they were only given the license. They really did not know what to do with it. The cover letter was separated or discarded. The cover letter is intended to be a guide and contains the important use report information forms.

Check our WebPages at www.massdfa.org now and then for updates. You find the cover letter there too.]"