Today Polk County has advised that Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) infection spotted in Polk County and residents should protect themselves.
The following are questions sent Polk County and answered by Jackson Mosley Polk County Parks and Natural Resources Division entomologist
Have you had any EEE case to date?
Yes. Currently, we have five positive sentinel chickens (5/21, 5/24, 5/31, 6/21, 6/28) and one horse (4/24) positive for EEEV confirmed by the Florida Department of Health.
We have six sentinel chicken flocks distributed throughout Polk County. We perform blood draws weekly to test each chicken for mosquito-borne diseases. Sentinel chickens do not get sick when bitten by an infected mosquito; instead, they develop antibodies, which we detect with laboratory tests. This information can give us an advantage of knowing where mosquito-borne diseases are potentially circulating within our county. Sentinel chickens provide information only on avian-mosquito borne diseases, for example, EEEV, SLEV, and WNV. Other mosquito-borne diseases such as Dengue or Zika are in a mammal-mosquito cycle, which would not infect sentinel chickens. In the case of EEEV, humans and horses are “dead-end” host and they cannot transmit EEEV despite becoming ill or dying from EEEV infection.
What are you during to stop any outbreaks in your district?
We are actively monitoring our sentinel chicken flocks and communicating with the Florida Department of Health Epidemiology whenever there is a suspected case of mosquito-borne disease in Polk County.
When we receive a suspected case of mosquito-borne disease in our office, we immediately conduct surveillance for vector mosquito species and potential larval habitats, prepare appropriate treatment either aerial or by vehicle and if needed with on the ground workers applying treatments.
We set out 62 traps weekly within Polk County. Each trap is collected and mosquitoes identified to species. We base our weekly ULV (ultra-low volume) spray schedule on trap populations and/or occurrence of important mosquito-borne disease vectors.
Public education/outreach is ongoing and a key component of our integrated mosquito management approach. Information is available at special events, presented at special interest group meetings, and daily our knowledgeable technicians educate citizens in the field when conducting service request.
What can people do to help?
The public must protect themselves by correctly applying mosquito repellent whenever venturing outdoors. Products with DEET (diethyltoluamide) are highly recommended. In addition, proper dress when going out is important too. Long sleeves and long pants can help prevent mosquito bites.
Sometimes people are unaware that they have mosquito habitats around their homes that they have created. For example, allowing containers to fill with water may attract mosquitoes to lay their eggs. Containers can be discarded plastic items, toys, lids, buckets, and tarps to name a few. The most notorious container-breeding habitat are tires without rims. Citizens should remember to inspect areas around their homes for containers and dump any standing water. Bromeliads can also serve as larval habitats for several mosquito species. Bromeliads should be frequently flushed with water to help protect against mosquito larvae from developing. Finally, citizens should educate themselves by visiting credible web sites such as CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), Florida Department of Health, or Florida Mosquito Control Association.