Combatting mosquitoes after EEE deaths

BRANDON - The blistering heat and daily afternoon showers makes for excellent breeding conditions for mosquitoes. With two encephalitis deaths reported in the last two weeks in Hillsborough County, officials are scrambling to get the mosquito population under control.

On the ground

At the Hillsborough County Public Works building, they say the calls have been non-stop. A typical month brings fewer than 100 calls -- but this month, it's already up to 515.

"We tell them that we are going to visit the area. That is our commitment, to go and inspect and see what the problem might be. Sometimes the problem is a ditch by those peoples homes," said Carlos Fernandes, Hillsborough County Mosquito Control Manager.

Workers will inspect about 12 homes everyday.

In the skies

Planes flew low over the Brandon and Valrico area early Friday morning, spraying 23,000 acres with mosquito-killing chemicals. They plan to spray again Monday morning at 4 a.m.

Planes flew low over the Brandon and Valrico area early Friday morning, spraying 23,000 acres with mosquito-killing chemicals, one day after the health department announced the death of a Brandon infant from Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE).

Health officials confirmed the recent death of an Odessa woman in her 50s from the same mosquito-borne disease just over a week ago, which was the first human death from EEE in the state of Florida since 2008.

Mosquitoes contract EEE and other illnesses, such as West Nile Virus, by biting infecting birds and can then spread the diseases to humans.

Staying mosquito-bite free

Health officials have been reminding all residents to wear insect repellent when they go outside, especially at dusk and dawn, and to remove standing water from their property, which provides mosquitoes a breeding ground.

The particular species of mosquito that officials are looking at in these two EEE cases is one that tends to linger underneath water until it is fully grown.

"Most of the time we have to wait until they [mosquitoes] become an adult, which is the most dangerous part of the entire process because they are out there and they are already biting people," explained Carlos Fernandes with Hillsborough Mosquito Control.

Residents with any questions about mosquitoes or those who would like a county worker to come and inspect their property for mosquito breeding areas is asked to call the Public Works Department at (813) 272-5912.

The county says they have already received an overwhelming number of phone calls and they expect to receive more in the coming days.

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Helpful Links

If you would like an inspector to visit your house or want more information, go to the  Hillsborough County Public Works website .

Report dead birds at myfwc.com/bird

Information on mosquito-borne illnesses:

• Florida Department of Health
• Centers for Disease Control

Information on mosquito repellants:

• Medline Plus
• Centers for Disease Control
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• Environmental Protection Agency: Effectiveness of repellents and Using repellents safely