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State Sprays 14 Counties To Combat Mosquito Virus

LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT/ AP) — Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services says Aerial organic pesticide spraying has been completed in 14 counties in Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

The treatment -- to combat eastern equine encephalitis, a rare mosquito-borne virus -- covers more than 557,000 acres.

Several dozen cases have been confirmed in horses and other animals, while four of 10 people confirmed to have the virus in Michigan have died.

State and local officials continue to urge residents to take precautions such as avoiding being outdoors from dusk to dawn, applying insect repellents and wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants. Mosquitoes generally do not die until the first hard frost.

© 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this story. 

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