City health department to start mosquito reporting site

The City of Brownsville Public Health Department hopes to construct a “mosquito forecast” in order to combat Zika.

City health officials recognize, however, that they cannot do it alone. That is why they are inviting the public to contribute to their effort, said Art Rodriguez, the city director of public health.

Citizens of Brownsville will be able to submit a report through health.cob.us. The “mosquito service request” option is listed under the “vector control” tab on the left side of the webpage.

“It helps us learn where (the mosquitoes) are and what the environment conditions are,” Rodriguez said. “In the long-term, this helps the city to work more efficiently and helps the public understand why mosquitoes are in their area.”

On Thursday afternoon, the city invited several agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Texas Department of State Health Services to test the new data-collecting tool at the Ringgold Civic Pavilion.

A more complete version of this story is available on www.myBrownsvilleHerald.com.