Budget cuts are forcing Hamilton County to stop spraying to control mosquitoes just as state officials say cases of West Nile virus are spreading across the state.
And some say cutting the 23-year-old service provided by the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department could put residents at risk for years to come.
“Ending disease prevention services like this could potentially cause preventable harm to the community,” said Kevin Lusk, a spokesman for the Chattanooga and Hamilton County Medical Society, which represents more than 1,000 local physicians.
“We understand that the health department has financial issues,” he said, “but we want to make sure that the general health for Hamilton County citizens is taken into account when they are thinking through this issue.”
Earlier this month, Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger announced a plan that would lay off 37 employees and cut $13.7 million from the county’s $638 million budget. Included in that plan was a $940,000 cut to the health department budget and a nearly $235,600 trim to the health department’s environmental services, which include mosquito-control efforts.