ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange County Mosquito Control said Thursday that it’s focusing on eliminating the breed of mosquito that is known to carry the arbovirus known as dengue after the state Department of Health confirmed two cases were contracted in the county.
Orange County said the two people who contracted the virus did not travel outside the county or the United States.
“We have both daytime and nighttime crews responding to the situation,” said Steve Harrison, manager for Orange County Mosquito Control. “They are providing control measures, recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to prevent further local transmission of the dengue virus.”
Dengue is carried by a breed of mosquito known as Aedes aegypti, and the specific breed has a short flight radius of about 200 yards.
This is the first time in years that the Florida Department of Health has confirmed a local transmission of dengue in Orange County in years.
To date, 24 cases have been confirmed by the FDOH, but they were cases in which the patient traveled outside Orange County or the United States to places where the virus is endemic.
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“This virus is only spread by mosquitoes,” Harrison said. “The only way for a human to contract dengue is if they are bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus. The mosquito can only get the virus by biting a person who has it. Fortunately, the mosquito that primarily carries this virus does not fly very far; it stays close to where it originally contracted the virus. At the direction of the state of Florida Department of Health, we are targeting our control efforts in the areas of concern to prevent any further transmission.”
Orange County Mosquito Control regularly sprays for mosquitoes around the county. The agency said all chemicals it uses are approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and are safe for humans and animals.
Residents of Orange County dealing with a mosquito issue at their home or within their community can seek help from Mosquito Control by calling Orange County’s 311 hotline to report the problem.