HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A dengue fever outbreak is spreading across the Tampa area, and crews from the Lee County Mosquito Control District are stepping in to help.
The Florida Department of Health reported 190 dengue fever cases caught in-state, with 170 of those cases recorded in Hillsborough County alone.
To help fight the outbreak, the Lee County Mosquito Control District flew three helicopters to Tampa Executive Airport Wednesday to spray larvicide over hot spot areas.
The spray targets mosquito larvae before they grow into biting adults.
Pilots covered about 7,000 acres of land and neighborhoods during the operation.
But the district says the work does not stop with their crews.
“Citizens are the number one way to help treat this, and that’s by standing out dumping water in the backyard. So make sure you don’t have any standing water,” said Jenifer McBride, Communications Director for the Lee County Mosquito Control District.
McBride also had a specific tip for plant owners.
“If you have bromeliad plants, make sure that you’re washing them out every week because the Aedes aegypti love to live in those plants,” McBride said.
The Lee County Mosquito Control District plans to return to the Tampa area next week to continue treating the outbreak.