Dengue fever is not contagious but is transmitted by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Health officials offer the following tips for preventing mosquito bites: Wear protective clothing, such as loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and pants. Apply insect repellents to exposed skin and clothing. Control mosquitoes inside and outside by repairing damaged screening on windows and doors, and draining standing water from garbage cans, buckets, pool covers, coolers, toys, flowerpots, or any other containers.
The health department in Hillsborough County and Hillsborough County Mosquito Management are coordinating surveillance and prevention efforts by conducting treatment across the county, FDH said in a news release.
There are more than 40 species of mosquitoes in the county, the Hillsborough County Mosquito Management Program said.
The agency operates 30 mosquito traps throughout the county to track the mosquito population. It also conducts more than 30,000 larval production site inspections each year.
When spraying, the agency uses both larvicides, including Altosid, CocoBear Oil, FourStar Bti CRG, Natular, Vectobac, and VectoMax FG, that kill mosquitoes before they hatch, and adulticides, including Dibrom and Permanone 30-30, for those already hatched.