TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — Hillsborough County is in the middle of a historic dengue fever outbreak, and the response is happening in the air above your neighborhood.
Tampa Bay 28 reporter Jada Williams visited the Hillsborough County Mosquito Management Center and spoke directly with mosquito control officials from two counties to get a firsthand look at how crews are working to bring the outbreak under control. What she found is an operation unlike anything the region has seen in nearly 100 years.
WATCH: You may have seen it or felt it. What Tampa helicopters are spraying for dengue
If you have spotted a bright orange helicopter flying low and slow over your neighborhood, it is not cause for alarm. The aircraft is from Pasco County's Mosquito Control District, brought in specifically to help Hillsborough County fight back against the outbreak.
"We're flying very, very low levels right above your houses, right above the treetops. What we're doing is targeting the mosquito in the immature life stage, in that larval stage," Adriane Rogers said.
Rogers is the Executive Director of the Pasco County Mosquito Control District. She explained that Pasco is providing supplemental assistance because this outbreak is bigger than any one county can handle alone. Thousands of people commute daily between Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, and Pinellas counties, and that movement is helping spread the virus across the region.
If you are outside during a treatment and feel a mist, officials say there is no need to panic.
"If you're outside and you are exposed to the droplets, there just go ahead and wash it off your skin. The product that we're using is safe and very effective," Rogers said.
Hillsborough County also operates its own helicopter, which typically flies at night when mosquitoes are most active. Most residents will never even see it coming.
"I'm 150 feet off the ground and 90 miles an hour, and my swath width — the spray width — is 1,000 feet," Tony Hudson said.
Hudson is the chief helicopter pilot for Hillsborough County. He said the helicopter is one of the county's best-kept secrets, and that most residents do not even know the county operates mosquito control helicopters at all. In mission profile at night, residents will likely only hear a thumping noise and may see the aircraft for just one or two seconds before it disappears. Because the spray swath is 1,000 feet wide, by the time it passes over one house it is already 1,000 feet downwind on the next run.
You might wonder why a helicopter and not an airplane. Hudson said it comes down to maneuverability. Airplanes over cities are restricted because they cannot hover or fly low and slow the way helicopters can, making helicopters far safer and more effective for this kind of work.
"I can cover a large swath of area around neighborhoods — in front yards, backyards, side yards, roads, alleys, and a lot of area all at once," Hudson said.
The two helicopters serve very different purposes, and understanding the difference matters. Hillsborough County's aircraft targets adult mosquitoes using an ultra-low volume adulticide, a spray profile that puts less than an ounce of product over an entire acre of space. The droplets are so fine they stay airborne long enough to strike flying mosquitoes. The operation runs at night specifically to avoid harming bees, butterflies, and birds that are active during the day.
The bright orange Pasco County helicopter works differently. It flies during the day, lower and slower, targeting mosquitoes before they ever become adults. It deposits a naturally occurring bacterium into the water-holding containers on residential properties where the Aedes aegypti mosquito breeds. That bacterium stunts the larvae so they never grow into biting, virus-carrying adults. If you live near the treatment area, you will likely see the orange helicopter make multiple passes and turns over your neighborhood because its spray swath is only about 70 feet wide, compared to the 1,000-foot swath of the Hillsborough County aircraft. The current treatment area covers 4,600 acres and is expected to take at least 2 days to complete. Crews plan to return and repeat the treatment over the coming weeks because this is not a one-time fix.
Part of what makes this outbreak so difficult to contain is the nature of the mosquito driving it. The Aedes aegypti does not live in swamps or roadside ditches like the nuisance mosquito species most Floridians are used to. It lives in residential areas, right in your backyard, breeding in even the smallest amounts of standing water left in flower pots, wheelbarrows, pet dishes, and children's toys. That is why the trucks and backpack sprayers typically used for nuisance mosquito control are not enough on their own for this outbreak. The mosquito is simply not where those tools can reach it effectively. It also bites during the day, not just at dawn and dusk, and it has developed a strong preference for human blood, making it especially efficient at spreading disease. It only takes one bite from an infected mosquito to transmit the virus to a person.
The outbreak was also made worse by weather. A long period of drought followed by intense rains caused mosquito populations to explode all at once, creating conditions that accelerated the spread.
The county is also setting traps to test mosquitoes in the area. Mosquitoes are tested in pools of 25. The traps are placed specifically in areas of concern, such as near homes where people have tested positive for dengue or where mosquito transmission is suspected.
"Right now we are consistently finding positives in those traps. That's kind of like finding a needle in a haystack. One positive is, one needle in a haystack. Now we found about 14 different needles, and that's definitely a big concern for us," Gabriela Henderson said.
Henderson is the Community Relations Coordinator for Hillsborough County Mosquito Management. She told Williams this is the first time in 15 years the county has had any positive mosquito pools at all. The previous positive, 15 years ago, was for West Nile virus, not dengue. These are the first dengue-positive mosquito pools in recent memory. Henderson was clear that the findings are not a reason to panic or stop going outside, but they are a reason to take precautions every time you do.
Officials say the number of confirmed human cases likely represents only a fraction of actual infections. That is because 80% of people who have dengue never show symptoms, and many others who do feel sick assume it is just a bad flu and never seek medical attention or get tested.
"The CDC estimates that the percentage of mosquito-borne disease cases that are actually reported is something like one or 2% of the actual cases of mosquito-borne disease that are happening," Rogers said.
Rogers said the outbreak is not just a Hillsborough County problem, and it is not just a Florida problem either.
"We have 1000s of people every single day that are commuting between Pasco, Hernando counties, Citrus County, Pinellas, and Hillsborough counties every single day, and so the people are moving virus around," Rogers said.
The concern extends well beyond the Tampa Bay region. Rogers said the Aedes aegypti mosquito is present as far north as the Carolinas.
"Take this seriously and be responsible. Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that can transmit dengue, and is we have here in the Tampa area, this outbreak right now does go all the way up to the Carolinas," Rogers said.
So how does dengue actually spread? It starts when a mosquito bites a person who already has the virus, often someone who recently traveled to a part of the world where dengue is common. That mosquito can then transmit the virus to the next person it bites. It only takes that one bite to pass the virus along.
Dengue symptoms include fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, and intense muscle and joint pain. The disease is sometimes called breakbone fever because the pain in the bones and joints can be so severe. Nausea and vomiting are also common. Officials urge anyone experiencing these symptoms not to dismiss them as a routine summer illness. Seek medical attention and ask to be tested for dengue.
Rogers said the last comparable outbreak in Florida dates to the 1930s, before modern mosquito control existed. Getting back to that point, after nearly a century of progress, is a stark reminder of how quickly conditions can change.
Here is what residents can do right now to help:
- Empty any water-holding containers around your property, including flower pots, wheelbarrows, pet water dishes, and children's toys. Even a small amount of standing water left for just a couple of days in the summer heat is enough to produce mosquitoes of this species.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors, even during the day.
- Use an EPA-registered insect repellent containing DEET or picaridin.
- Support your local mosquito control program.
Share Your Story with Jada
Jada Williams is focused on the issues that matter most to people in who live in Tampa and West Hillsborough County. From downtown Tampa to Town ‘n’ Country and Westchase, Jada works to bring you updates and solutions on everything from crime to infrastructure. Reach out to Jada below with your concerns for your neighborhood.
.
Pasco County physician reunites with medical team after widowmaker heart attack
A Pasco County internal medicine physician was reunited Tuesday with the medical team who saved her life after she suffered a widowmaker heart attack nearly two years ago.
