Orange County Mosquito Control Crews Target Spraying After Report of Dengue Fever
Orange County Mosquito Control, a division of the Orange County Government, announced today its crews are focusing on eliminating the breed of mosquito that is known to carry the arbovirus, Dengue. The State of Florida Department of Health (FDOH) confirmed on August 22, 2024, two people within Orange County contracted the virus locally. This means these people did not travel outside of Orange County, or the United States, and still contracted the virus after being bitten by a mosquito.
“We have both daytime and nighttime crews responding to the situation,” Steve Harrison, Manager for Orange County Mosquito Control said. “They are providing control measures, recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to prevent further local transmission of the Dengue virus.”
Harrison says Dengue is carried by a breed of mosquito known as Aedes aegypti. This specific breed of mosquito has a short flight radius of about 200 yards. This is the first time the State of 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 where the patient traveled outside of Orange County, or the United States, to places where the virus is endemic. Mosquito Control crews responded to these cases, as well.
“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. All chemicals used 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.
