Guess who's back? Published April 27, 2012 By 51st Aerospace Medicine Squadron Public Health OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- It's that time of year again. The buzz of mosquitoes is in the air and Public Health is kicking-off its mosquito surveillance program. Mosquito trapping is an important program provided by Public Health to provide us with the numbers and types of mosquitoes in the area. The numbers are passed on to pest management to determine spraying cycles. The plan for this year is to set traps on a weekly basis at 14 locations throughout the Osan community. The good news is there are things that you can do to prevent being bitten and potentially infected by mosquitoes. The best ways to avoid being bitten are to limit time spent outdoors during dawn and dusk hours, keeping windows and door screens in good condition (tightly sealed and without holes), and using repellents that contain DEET when outdoors. Please note that the amount of DEET in a repellent should be 30 percent or less for adults and 10 percent for children. Another good prevention method is to reduce the amount of standing water around your work place and home. Any container that can hold water for a period of several days is a potential breeding vehicle for mosquitoes. Some of these breeding sites range from flowerpots located outside of our homes, patios, and porches, to old tires and tarps. These items should be checked periodically and drained when it contains water. Standing water is a critical element in the mosquitoes' life cycle, so try to eliminate it. In addition to these environmental control measures of fogging and limitation of breeding sites and conditions, personnel can further protect themselves from mosquitoes by wearing light-colored clothing, long sleeve shirts, long pants, socks, and shoes. For more information about mosquito borne diseases and prevention methods, log onto the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov. You can also call the 51st Civil Engineer Help Desk at 784-4304, or Public Health at 784-4494, for complaints and to conduct surveys of workplaces or residential areas.