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Maryland Begins Summer Mosquito Spraying

123rf.com

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Maryland officials say they've begun their efforts to combat mosquitoes for the summer.

Agriculture Secretary Joe Bartenfelder said in a statement Tuesday that the "Zika virus continues to be a major public health concern" in the state and that officials "remain vigilant in our efforts to fight the disease here in Maryland."

Officials will be working to eliminate potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes and will also be spraying to control the population.

Officials say as of May 24 there have been 198 cases of Zika virus in Maryland dating back to 2015, all of them associated with travel to areas where the disease has been actively transmitted.

Officials say the disease has not been transmitted by mosquitoes in Maryland.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.