Healthcare

Ancient Mosquito Virus Plagues Western Florida

Photo by Noah Poritz, courtesy United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service

Dengue Fever is spreading across the Sunshine State, as three counties in Western Florida just declared a state of emergency due to unprecedented levels of the mosquito-borne illness.

One hundred ninety cases of locally acquired Dengue Fever have been reported across six counties according to the Florida Department of Health’s latest surveillance report. On Sept. 23, Pasco County declared the mosquito-borne viral infection a local state of emergency. Pinellas County and Hillsborough County followed suit the next day.

The state of emergency will last approximately one week.

“From the County’s perspective, our Mosquito Control team has increased surveillance, education and treatments in the impacted areas,” a Pinellas County spokesperson said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Residents should know that there have been 179 confirmed cases of dengue in the three-county Tampa Bay area, with Pinellas showing seven, based on last Friday’s DOH [department of health] report.”

The Florida Department of Health, Hillsborough County and Pasco County did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported 392 cases for all of Florida as of Tuesday, that may have originated from travel. This is significantly higher than any other state. The next highest recorded number of cases on the CDC website is in California with 31 cases.

Florida’s warm tropical climate and abundance of lakes, ponds, and rain provides the ideal breeding ground for the mosquitos, Florida’s Environmental Pest Management states.

However, health experts say that several different factors could have contributed to the resurgence of the disease.

The impacts of Hurricanes Milton and Helene could contribute to “nonnative and invasive species to new parts of Florida and Georgia,” WFLA reported.

Travel is another factor that could have contributed to the outbreak. Dengue is common in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and the Caribbean, as well as parts of Africa and Southeast Asia.

“We have a lot of people in Tampa who have close family ties to the Caribbean and go there a lot,” Chris Wilkerson, a spokesperson for Hillsborough County told NBC News.

“Most dengue cases reported in the 49 continental US states occur in travelers infected elsewhere,” the CDC website says.

Pinellas County Emergency Management shared a flyer with the Daily Caller News Foundation titled “Fight the Bite.”

“Mosquitoes are more than just a nuisance, they spread diseases that can make you sick. Fight the bite by taking steps to control mosquitoes and protect yourself and your family from mosquito-borne illness,” the flyer stated.

Dengue is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, believed to have originated from African and Asian regions. The virus possibly dates back thousands of years, with symptoms first documented in ancient China, around 265–420 AD, according to Dengue.com. It can cause flu-like symptoms, including aches and pains, nausea, vomiting, rash and in severe cases, lead to internal bleeding, shock and death, according to the World Health Organization.

Hillsborough County is spraying insecticide from helicopters and trucks and is partnering with neighboring counties to spray liquid larvicide by helicopter, NBC News reported.

Tire shops are also getting sprayed.

“A used tire with a little bit of water in it is a maternity ward for mosquitoes,” Wilkerson told NBC News.