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Article updated: 8/17/2012 9:42 AM

To fight West Nile, Dallas launches aerial defense

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Bryant Sivess, operations manager at Dallas Executive Airport, helps hold up a map of Dallas County that highlights the areas that were planned to be sprayed by air Thursday night to curb the spread of mosquitoes, during a news conference Thursday afternoon, Aug. 16, 2012, at the Dallas airport. For the first time in more than 45 years, the city and county dropped insecticide from the air to combat the nation's worst outbreak of West Nile virus, which has killed 10 people and caused at least 200 others to fall ill.

Associated Press

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A Beechcraft airplane sprays insecticide DUET over Forest Rd in Garland, Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012, to curb the spread of West Nile virus. The planes took off from Dallas Executive Airport.

Associated Press

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The last time Dallas used aerial spraying to curb the mosquito population, Texas' Lyndon Johnson was in the White House, Mission Control in Houston was launching Gemini missions and encephalitis was blamed for more than a dozen deaths. But for the first time in more than 45 years, Dallas County has launched an aerial assault on the flying pests. Aircraft took off at 10 p.m. Thursday to spray insecticide over the county's northeastern quadrant to combat the nation's worst outbreak of West Nile virus. That outbreak has killed 10 people and caused at least 230 others to fall ill.

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