The Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District did an about-face Thursday, saying it won’t conduct aerial spraying of a pesticide to kill West Nile-carrying mosquitoes this year.

A spokesman for Vector Control said the agency needed to rethink its strategy, needing time to get permits during the mosquito breeding season and better communicate with the public.

Vector Control planned to send a twin-engine plane from Long Beach to spray over parts of eight communities in Orange County on Wednesday and Thursday nights. But that was called off late Wednesday after officials learned their flight contractor had not applied for permission to fly over Disneyland, which has been a federal no-fly zone since shortly after the 9/11 terror attacks.

By Thursday morning, the agency had scrapped plans to fly this year, saying it could not ramp back up in time to be effective.

“The delay would diminish the goal of reducing adult mosquito populations during the peak West Nile virus transmission period,” said Jared Dever, a spokesman for the Vector Control District.

The plan had been controversial, prompting hundreds of phone calls and emails from residents worried the pesticide used to kill mosquitoes, Duet, might pose a health risk.

Health officials and others said the pesticide isn’t harmful in the dose planned. But many added Thursday that the decision to cancel the spraying does pose a health risk.

Last year, Orange County suffered the worst West Nile outbreak in the United States, with nine deaths and 280 people sickened by the virus.

“If nine people had been killed by sharks here, it would have been world news,” said Barbara Kogerman, a Laguna Hills councilwoman and Vector Control trustee who voted in favor of aerial spraying. “It was a very serious situation.”

Still, some residents were frustrated that Vector Control gave only a week’s notice about the spraying and didn’t communicate specifics of the operation through its community outreach efforts.

Garden Grove’s City Council voted Tuesday to ask the district not to spray in their city. Mayor Bao Nguyen, who lives in one of the spray zones, said the district didn’t give residents enough time to weigh the health risks.

“People need to be better informed,” Nguyen said. “They were not.”

Anaheim Councilwoman Lucille Kring, who is on the Vector Control board of trustees, said the district should have done a better job of getting the word out.

“If we are to do this again, we need to do a full-court press, be in all newspapers and on social media,” said the councilwoman, one of 30 trustees who in March voted to allow the district manager to authorize aerial spraying of pesticides if necessary.

State Sen. Janet Nguyen, R-Fountain Valley, learned about the spraying last week through a Chamber of Commerce email alert.

“I’m extremely frustrated by this whole process,” she said. “Not everyone has access to the Internet, Facebook and newspapers… . The public and policymakers, such as myself, should be properly notified in such cases.”

Nguyen said her staff had to call Vector Control officials for specific information. She said she’s looking at notification laws and might push to change them.

“If I find out those requirements are not sufficient, I’m going to push for legislation next year to strengthen those laws,” she said. “The public deserves to know the facts.”

The district issued news releases and went online in several languages to tell residents about the plan to spray and the low health risks associated with the pesticide.

But that communication effort was launched last week, six days before the first scheduled flight.

As news spread, many residents, even people who are not in the spray zones, spoke out, believing the air would carry the pesticide to their neighborhoods.

As of Thursday evening, the Facebook group “Stop the Spraying of Orange County” had 2,826 members.

The news also sparked rumors online. On Wednesday night, some residents turned to social media to report that their neighborhoods were being sprayed – though police departments and Vector Control officials said Thursday no spraying had taken place.

“I’m concerned about West Nile virus, but I’m more concerned about the threat of cancer from toxic pesticides,” Renee Bryant, of Garden Grove said. “I’d take my chances with West Nile virus over cancer any day.”

But Diane Haddock of Yorba Linda, who last year became paralyzed from the waist down after contracting West Nile, disagreed.

“One mosquito bite, just one bite in my backyard, changed my life forever,” she said.

Laguna Hills Councilwoman Kogerman said the Vector Control board vetted the pesticide and looked at research on its health effects.

“Is it safe for pets? Yes. Is it safe for kids? Yes. Is it safe for people with asthma? Yes. The (Vector Control Board) was quite secure that this was a safe product. It’s not malathion. It’s a whole different product than was used years ago.”

Vector Control spokesman Dever said the move to not spray could lead to another bad year for West Nile.

The breeding season this year is expected to be longer because of unseasonable rain and moisture.

“We are asking the public to help us reduce the adult mosquito population on their properties to help stop the virus and potential human infections,” Dever said.

Staff writer Joseph Pimentel contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7909 or dbharath@ocregister.com