Last episode, we hadn't seen whether Hillsborough would extend its dengue emergency. Now we have. This is Dengue Watch. Today, Hillsborough's new end date, why experts think Florida's case count is too low, and free tire drop-off in Pinellas and Pasco.
Hillsborough County, in a release dated October 1:
Hillsborough County Administrator Bonnie Wise has signed an executive order extending the state of local emergency under authority granted by the County's Emergency Management Ordinance and Chapter 252, Florida Statutes.
So the county at the center of this outbreak stays under emergency. Until when? October 8th. That matches Pinellas, which extended on Wednesday to 3 p.m. on Thursday, October 8th. The county says these orders last only seven days unless extended or rescinded, and this one lets emergency managers act quickly and opens a path to federal reimbursement. And the reason it gives? Its mosquito surveillance in many neighborhoods is showing dengue virus activity, so crews are increasing treatments by air and ground, working with the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County. Which leaves Pasco. We still haven't seen reporting on whether its order was extended, so we won't guess.
Mary Kekatos, writing for ABC News:
Wolfe said there may be an underestimate of the true number of cases in Florida. Cases of dengue can be mild, and people may recover on their own or never be tested. Because dengue can resemble a flu-like illness, patients may never suspect the source of their infection.
That's Cameron Wolfe, an infectious diseases specialist at Duke. First, the count itself isn't new. It's the same state figure we covered Monday: at least 190 locally acquired cases in six counties for the week ending September 19th, with 170 in Hillsborough. So what is new? Two things. The CDC told ABC News on Tuesday it's closely tracking what it called an unprecedented number of cases in the Tampa area, and that it has provided $800,000 in emergency funds for the response. And weather.com notes Florida's previous record was 186 locally acquired cases in 2023, so 190 makes this the largest on record. And the undercount point. Emory's Natalie Dean compares reported cases to the top of an iceberg. A second infection is usually the more severe one, she says, so many first infections go uncounted. That's an expert estimate, not a number. WFLA said new Hillsborough figures were expected Thursday afternoon. We haven't seen them in our sources yet, so 190 through September 19th is still the latest count we can stand behind.
Joeniyah Carter, reporting for WUSF:
Through Oct. 30, people can receive the waiver when they bring up to four tires no more than 36 inches in diameter to the Pinellas County Solid Waste Disposal Complex in St. Petersburg.
A practical one. Old tires collect rainwater and breed mosquitoes, so Pinellas is waiving the disposal fee. What are the rules? It's residential only. Bring a valid driver's license to prove you live in Pinellas, and wear closed-toed shoes. Tire shops and mechanics can't use it, and if you hire someone to haul your tires, the normal fee applies. And Pasco's doing something similar? Yes. A Pasco County release says residential tire fees are waived from October 1st through November 1st. Same limits, up to four tires, 36 inches or smaller, at the East Pasco Transfer Station in Dade City, West Pasco Resource Recovery in Spring Hill, or the Land O' Lakes recycling drop-off. Tires have to be kept separate from other trash, but rims can stay on.
If you're following outbreak news beyond dengue, try our sister show, Ebola Watch. It's a daily DRC and Uganda Ebola outbreak briefing, every weekday, with case counts, border tracing, WHO vaccine news, and what travelers need to know.
Links to every story are in the show notes. Thanks for listening, and we'll catch you next time. That's Dengue Watch for today. This is a Lantern Podcast.