TAMPA, Fla. — Health officials across the Tampa Bay area are stepping up mosquito control efforts as the number of locally acquired dengue fever cases continues to rise.
Hillsborough County says it recorded its first-ever positive dengue fever test from an insect monitoring trap in July. Since then, 30 people have been confirmed to have contracted dengue fever from local mosquito bites, while another 21 preliminary tests are showing positive results.
The county is targeting areas where health officials believe dengue-carrying mosquitoes are most active, using helicopters, trucks and crews equipped with backpack sprayers.
On Monday night, three helicopters treated about 30,000 acres in an area east of the I-4 and I-275 corridor, where officials believe some of the first local cases were concentrated.
The goal is to reduce populations of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the species responsible for transmitting dengue fever.
But mosquito control officials say eliminating mosquitoes is only part of the effort.
Gabriela Henderson with Hillsborough County Mosquito Services said Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are daytime biters, putting people who spend extended periods outdoors at risk.
Health officials recommend wearing long pants and long sleeves and using mosquito repellent when spending time outside.
Unlike illnesses such as the flu or COVID-19, dengue fever does not spread directly from person to person.
“It doesn’t spread from person to person,” Henderson said. “It is only spread through the bite of a mosquito.”
A mosquito can become infected after biting a person who already has the virus and then transmit dengue when it bites another person.
Hillsborough County Mosquito Services is also focusing on tire shops, which can provide ideal breeding conditions for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
The mosquitoes can lay eggs in small amounts of standing water, making items such as discarded tires potential breeding sites.
Officials are also asking residents to eliminate standing water around their homes.
That includes checking sports equipment, garbage cans, children’s toys, tools, and other outdoor items that can collect rainwater.
Most people infected with dengue experience mild-to-moderate illness and recover on their own.
Symptoms can include fever, vomiting, body aches, and skin rashes.
The CDC estimates that about 1 in 20 people who become sick with dengue develop severe dengue, which can require hospitalization.
Severe cases can cause internal bleeding, organ failure, and other life-threatening complications.
Health officials say reducing mosquito breeding grounds and taking precautions against mosquito bites can help limit the spread of dengue in the Tampa Bay area.