Stopping the Spread of Dengue Fever

I'M JENNIFER CRAWFORD. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. EFFORTS TO STOP THE SPREAD OF DENGUE FEVER HAS LEE COUNTY MOSQUITO CONTROL ON THE FRONT LINES IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, WHICH INCLUDES TAMPA, LEE COUNTY MOSQUITO CONTROL CHOPPER PILOTS AND CREWS JOINED FORCES WITH MANATEE AND PASCO COUNTIES TO HELP WITH ARIEL PESTICIDE SPRAYING TODAY. PINELLAS, PASCO AND HILLSBOROUGH COUNTIES ARE ALL UNDER A LOCAL STATE OF EMERGENCY DUE TO A RISING NUMBER OF CASES OF THE MOSQUITO-BORNE VIRUS. LEE COUNTY MOSQUITO CONTROL SAYS IT'S FLYING DAYTIME MISSIONS LOW OVER TAMPA NEIGHBORHOODS TO SPRAY TREATMENTS TO KILL MOSQUITO LARVAE AS THE AREA OF CONCERN IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY HAS NOW EXPANDED TO INCLUDE ONE 3RD OF THE COUNTY. >> JENNIFER MCBRIDE OF THE LEE COUNTY MOSQUITO CONTROL DISTRICT JOINS US NOW. >> AND YOU LITERALLY JUST GOT OFF OF A HELICOPTER. >> THAT WAS SPRAYING IN HILL, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. WHAT'S THE HEADLINE OUT OF THIS NEWS CONFERENCE WITH THE AUTHORITIES REGARDING WHAT'S GOING ON AS FAR AS EFFORTS AND THE NUMBERS. >> AND IN HILLSBOROUGH, IT'S INTERESTING. THEY'VE SOME CRYPTIC PLACES THAT WE'RE DETERMINING THAT EVEN THERE IS A RESTAURANT. WE HAD 3 CASES OF SOMEONE THAT ARE 3 DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT VISITED THIS RESTAURANT AND IT TURNS OUT THEY JUST HAD STANDING WATER IN SOME KIND OF DISH AND THERE IT THE BACK OF THE RESTAURANT. SO WHAT'S HAPPENING IS WE REALLY NEED PEOPLE TO DUMP OUT THAT STANDING WATER BECAUSE WE CAN'T GET TO EVERY LITTLE PLACE. AND THAT'S WHERE THOSE THINGS ARE POPPING UP OR IN THE UNSUSPECTED CRYPTIC PLACES THAT WE CAN'T GET TO. >> CAN YOU TELL US THE LATEST NUMBERS THAT ARE COMING IN REGARDING THE NUMBER OF BANK, A FEVER CASES? >> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. WE HAD OUR LAST UPDATE ON LAST THURSDAY AND WE'RE SEEING ABOUT 252 CASES IN FLORIDA. LOCALIZE CASES. SO AND MOST OF THOSE, OF COURSE, STEMMING FROM THE HILLS, EARL AREA AND THEN JUST KIND OF BRANCHING OUT FROM THERE. >> I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE ABOUT 223 LOCALLY ACQUIRED CASES IN A TAMPA BAY AREA. >> YES, ABSOLUTELY SAID THERE IN THE TAMPA, VERY BAY AREA. BUT WE ARE STARTING TO SEE THEM GO INTO THAT SOME OF THOSE OTHER COUNTIES AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE BIGGEST THING TO REMEMBER IS AND WE ACTUALLY TALKED TO THE DIRECTOR OF HILLSBOROUGH, IS THAT IN IN HILLSBOROUGH, PEOPLE TRAVEL FOR WORK FOR FOR SCHOOL. THEY'RE NOT TO STAYING IN THAT COUNTY. THEY'RE MOVING FROM COUNTY TO COUNTY. AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE STARTING TO SEE SOME OF THIS OTHER LOCATIONS POPPING UP. >> AND WHAT KIND OF FORCES? >> HAVE YOU GUYS DEPLOYED TO THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY AREA TO HELP IN THIS FIGHT? >> SO FOR US, WE HAVE A LARGE AERIAL CREW, OF COURSE, BECAUSE OF OUR HABITAT AREA HERE IN LEE COUNTY. WE'VE GOT THAT ARE HERE AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THE MOST AERIAL EQUIPMENT FOR MOSQUITO CONTROLS IS BECAUSE OF THAT MOSQUITO. SO WE'RE SENDING UP AREA ALL TO HELP OUT. AND OF COURSE, THERE COVERING THE COST OF THE CHEMICALS AND THE FUEL. AND WE'RE SUPPLYING THE THE AERIAL PEACE. AND I JUST WANT TO MENTION, TOO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE UP THERE, BUT WE'RE ALSO BACK HERE AT NUMBER ONE IS OUR COMMUNITY AND MAKING SURE WE'RE TREATING OUR COMMUNITY TOO. SO WE'RE KIND ALL WORKING A LITTLE BIT OF OVERTIME TO REALLY KIND OF BEAT DOWN THE BAN AND ALSO TAKE CARE OF OUR ASSISTANCE HERE IN LEE COUNTY >> WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT LEE COUNTY MOSQUITO CONTROL HELP IN THIS FIGHT WITH OUR NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH? >> YEAH, WE GET ASKED THAT AND REALLY IT'S ABOUT HOW THE VIRUS WORKS. IT DOESN'T JUST STAY IN THAT COUNTY. WHAT HAPPENS IS IF YOU HAVE A MOSQUITO THAT BITE SOMEONE INFECTS THEM AND THAT PERSON TRAVELS, FOR INSTANCE, TO LEE COUNTY, WHICH WE HAD LAST WEEK IN A TAURUS LOCATION AND THEN A LOCAL MOSQUITO HERE IN LEE COUNTY BITES THEM. THEN THAT'S HOW THAT SPREAD IT. THAT'S HOW IT SPREAD. IS IT 2 DIFFERENT COUNTIES? IS PEOPLE TRAVELING AND ALSO MOSQUITOES. BUT THIS MOSQUITO ACTUALLY DOESN'T TRAVEL VERY FAR. IT'S IT'S REALLY BACKYARD TO BACKYARD THAT SPOT AS FAR AS IT'S GOING TO GO UNLESS IT GETS IN A CAR, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. TYPICALLY IT'S GOING TO BE SPREAD BY HUMANS. >> WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THAT CASE? YOU ARE TRACKING IN LEE COUNTY BECAUSE TO MY KNOWLEDGE, WE STILL DON'T HAVE ANY LOCALLY ACQUIRED CASES, BUT THERE COULD BE. >> YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTIONS. SO ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE DO IS WE SET TRAPS AND WE'RE ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESS WILL BE TESTING PROBABLY TOMORROW. THE THE SPECIES THAT THEY TEASE AEGYPTI AND THAT LOCATION AND WHAT WE DO IS WE LOOK TO SEE IF WE HAVE ANY POSITIVE MOSQUITOES. BEFORE THAT, THOUGH, WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN THERE AND TREATED THAT AREA. SEVERAL TIMES. WE'VE GONE THROUGH A FEW TIMES AND DUMP OUT STANDING WATER. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S CERTAINLY A LOCATION THAT IS ON OUR RADAR. BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE THING TO REMEMBER IS WE HAVE TO DUMP OUT THAT STANDING WATER BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE DON'T HAVE SYMPTOMS. SO WE JUST WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO FIND OUT ABOUT THIS ONE. >> WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS THAT SOMEONE MIGHT EXHIBIT IF THEY ARE SICK WITH THIS MOSQUITO-BORNE VIRUS? >> YEAH, IT'S NOT FUN. IT'S CALLED BREAK BEEN FEVER AND IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE PROBABLY IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS, YOU'RE GOING TO PROBABLY GET A FEVER, A HEADACHE BEHIND EYES. AND THEN IT FEELS LIKE A VERY, VERY DEEP BONE PAIN. THAT'S WHY IT'S CALLED GREAT PHONE FEVER. IT'S VERY SIMILAR TO THE FLU. SO, YOU KNOW, WE WANT ANYBODY THAT'S TRAVELED, ESPECIALLY OUT OF COUNTRY. THAT'S COMING BACK IN. IF THEY'RE HAVING THESE SYMPTOMS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE CONTACTING THEIR PHYSICIAN. AND THEN, OF COURSE IT THEY'VE HAD CONTACT, YOU KNOW WHAT, THEY KNOW, TRAVEL TO HILLSBOROUGH AND THEY'RE HAVING ANY SYMPTOMS. THEN I WOULD GO TO THE PHYSICIAN. ALSO. >> YOU ALSO HAD MENTIONED TO ME THAT THERE IS CONCERN THIS COULD BECOME ENDEMIC TO OUR STATE. >> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. STILL RECENTLY I SPOKE WITH ONE OF OUR BUYERS DOCTOR DAY WHO IS VERY WELL KNOWN AROUND THE WORLD. HE ACTUALLY PREDICTS KIND OF FIRE US IS AND WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THEM. AND HE SAID, YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED THAT THIS MIGHT BE OUR NEW NORM THAT ONCE IT GET HERE, IT'S VERY HARD TO CONTAIN IT AND GET RID OF IT. THAT'S WHY WE'RE THROWING ALL THESE EFFORTS AT IT BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT THIS TO BE ENDEMIC. WE DON'T WANT THIS TO BE AN EVERYDAY PART OF LIFE FOR EVERYONE. >> ALL RIGHT. JENNIFER MCBRIDE FROM LEE COUNTY MOSQUITO CONTROL. THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE TODAY. ABSOLUTELY.