Sarasota County Mosquito Managers provide update on the county's fight against mosquitos

Sarasota County Mosquito Managers hosted a public meeting at the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex on Friday to let people know their progress and take questions on how they can protect themselves.

"We’re doing a lot of larviciding, adulticiding by backpacks, but now we’re going into phase two, which is education, further educating the public," said Wade Brennan, the county’s mosquito manager.

After seven cases of locally transmitted malaria were reported in the county, there have not been any new cases in the last couple of weeks.  

County managers say people are more alert, and they’re continuing to focus on neighborhoods where malaria cases were being reported; Kensington Park and Desoto Acres.

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"When I saw Desoto Acres, I could kind of see why. There’s a lot of vegetation here and everything, but it didn’t scare me all that much," said

Ken Hudson has lived in Desoto Acres for over 20 years and says he’s cautious about when he goes outside.

"I’m usually not out after the sun goes down, and I’m usually not up before the sun comes up and that’s when they, a little secret about mosquitos is they don’t like sunlight," Hudson said."

He goes on his afternoon walks well before sunset to avoid the bugs. County managers say that’s a good way to prevent mosquito bites, along with repellent, long clothing, and making sure there’s no standing water around your home.

RELATED: Seven malaria cases keeping mosquito control crews busy in Sarasota County

"Malaria can still be out there. It’s not a fast-acting virus or parasite that will be affecting people, so we need everybody to stay diligent and avoid those mosquito bites," Brennan said.

Sarasota County Mosquito Management continues to monitor areas throughout the county and plans to have more meetings to keep people up-to-speed with their work and how everyone can protect themselves.