Hear a helicopter just above the treetops in Tampa today? It isn't the nighttime spray plane. It's a second operation, aimed at the next generation of mosquitoes. This is Dengue Fever Watch, and it's Wednesday, October 28th. Coming up: Hillsborough's daytime larvicide flights, a stepped-up notice from the Seminole County health department, and what a county inspector turned up in one Tampa backyard.
Hillsborough County, in a release Tuesday:
The low-flying helicopters are applying this bacterium to standing water in neighborhoods to prevent mosquitoes from breeding there - particularly mosquitoes that carry the dengue virus.
Which bacterium, and how is this different from the planes we talked about yesterday? It's called Bti, a naturally occurring bacterium sprayed as a liquid. The county says it kills mosquito larvae in standing water and does not harm people, pets, fish, birds or beneficial insects. The planes are a separate job: Dibrom, an insecticide for adult mosquitoes, at night. Helicopters work in daylight, going after larvae before they can grow into biting adults. So when, and where exactly? Most of the week, Wednesday through Friday, October 28th to 30th. There are two zones. Central Tampa is bounded by Fowler Avenue on the north, I-275 and I-4 on the south, North 50th Street on the east and Dale Mabry Highway on the west. Palm River runs from the Selmon Expressway down to the Alafia River, between U.S. 301 and Hillsborough Bay. And people in those zones should expect something loud. The county says the helicopter will fly just above trees and buildings, sometimes passing over the same property more than once, with noise it calls significant. The county ran a similar larvae-by-air push the week of October 1st, which we covered then. Its stated reason this time hasn't changed: traps in many neighborhoods are showing dengue virus activity in mosquitoes. That's the part I'd want residents to hear. Neither flight program means the risk is gone. Right. The county is still asking people to wear light-colored long sleeves, use a repellent with a CDC-recommended ingredient such as DEET or picaridin, and dump or cover standing water. Current missions are posted on the county's mosquito operations page, and the Mosquito Management number is 813-635-5400.
The Florida Department of Health in Seminole County, in a notice Monday:
The alert is in response to an additional confirmed case of locally-acquired dengue.
We had that second case yesterday from News 6. What's actually new here? The wording of the notice. When Seminole confirmed its first local case, on Wednesday, October 21st, the department put out a mosquito-borne illness advisory. Monday's release is headlined as an alert. The department doesn't spell out what changes between the two. And a post from the City of Longwood, reported by WMMO, still calls it an advisory. So two labels in circulation. What's the county actually doing differently? The department says it and Seminole County Mosquito Control are increasing ground fogging and larviciding, and adjusting treatment as surveillance data comes in. WFTV reported Tuesday night that crews are stepping up both. And still nothing on where in the county this person lives or got sick? Not in the release. The Longwood post urges precautions in Longwood and county-wide, but it doesn't say either case was there. One more caution: these two Seminole cases aren't in the state's latest weekly count, which runs through October 17th. Anything specific for residents? The department describes dengue as a flu-like illness with fever, severe muscle and joint aches, and sometimes a rash, appearing within 15 days of a bite. Anyone in Seminole with symptoms can call DOH-Seminole at 407-665-3243.
Sky Lebron, writing for WUSF on Monday, after a Hillsborough inspector visited their Seminole Heights home:
It didn't take Picora long to identify a prime location. That third garbage can that rarely gets used. Honestly, I forgot it existed. It was filled with rainwater from recent storms.
I think every listener just pictured their own spare trash can. That's why we picked this one. Paolo Picora, a senior environmental specialist with Hillsborough County Mosquito Management, has been through hundreds of yards this year. In this one he found larvae in the garbage can, then more in the dips of an overturned kayak, a tipped-over feeder wheel, even a fallen palm frond. He treated them with larvicide tablets, and told WUSF that Aedes aegypti, the mosquito spreading dengue in Florida, turns up in million-dollar homes and low-income housing alike. What matters is containers holding water. So the helicopters cover neighborhoods, and this is the yard-by-yard version. Yes. And Picora said his biggest worry is residents who turn inspectors away. His line: it just takes a little bit of water.
If this briefing helps you keep track of what's happening in your county, would you leave Dengue Fever Watch a rating or a short review? It's how other Florida listeners find us.
Things to watch: Hillsborough's and Pinellas's emergency orders reach Thursday, October 29th, and we haven't seen a decision yet on either one. The next weekly state report should also tell us whether Seminole's two cases are in the count. We'll bring you both next time. Dengue Fever Watch is a Lantern Podcast. Thanks for listening, and look after each other.