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Florida has dengue cases almost every year, said Dr. Jay Gupta, an infectious disease researcher at Florida Gulf Coast University. Usually it’s imported by people who travel overseas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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That\u2019s what makes the Hillsborough County situation unusual. Health officials said the cases have come from local mosquitoes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo that has been a shift,\u201d Gupta said. \u201cAnd of course, the mosquitoes thrive in the warm and hot and humid climate of Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Lee County helicopters took off from 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 during the operation.<\/p>\n
Lee County has the largest mosquito control district in the country, according to Jenifer McBride, communications director for the district. It boasts a fleet of seven helicopters and multiple planes that operate from Buckingham Field.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re adding that resource of extra aerial help,\u201d McBride said. \u201cWhich is what it really takes when you have localized cases to knock down the virus.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Three counties in the Tampa area have declared a state of emergency, according to our partners at FOX 13<\/a>. That includes Hillsborough County (170 cases), Pinellas County (7 cases), and Pasco County (2 cases). \u00a0<\/p>\n 80% of people who catch the virus never develop symptoms, Gupta said. But it can lead to body aches, muscle pain, and in severe cases, death. The last major dengue outbreak in Florida occurred in Monroe County in 2020, WUSF reports, with 72 locally acquired cases.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n