The Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County has issued a mosquito-borne illness advisory after three sentinel chickens tested positive for West Nile virus.
“The risk of transmission to humans has increased,” the agency said in a news release.
The health department and county mosquito management said they are continuing surveillance and prevention efforts. They also have advised residents to take basic precautions to limit exposure to mosquitoes, which spread viruses through bites.
“Staff are continuing their normal daily surveillance and larvicide treatments to manage the mosquito population,” Sarasota County Mosquito Management Services said in a news release Monday. “Completion of missions will be weather permitting.”
Mosquito-borne diseases in Florida include West Nile, Eastern equine encephalitis and St. Louis encephalitis. Others can be brought into the state through international travel, including chikungunya fever, dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever and Rift Valley fever.
Symptoms of these illnesses can range from mild to very severe.
Several of the mosquito species found in Florida are capable of transmitting diseases to humans, horses and other animals, the health department said.
While mosquitoes tend to be a year-round problem in Florida, heavy rains with major flooding tend to increase their presence. To limit the insects, residents should practice drain and cover: emptying stagnant pools of water and wearing clothing that covers arms and legs.
Northern Sarasota County faced mosquito alerts through much of summer 2023 after seven cases of locally acquired malaria were found. They were part of the nation's first locally transmitted malaria outbreak since 2003, when eight people tested positive for malaria in Palm Beach.
For information on Sarasota County Mosquito Management Services, visit https://bit.ly/3rKW114.
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