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Sarasota County fighting to stop the spread Malaria
Kimberly Kuizon reports
SARASOTA, Fla. - Elisabeth Reyes is not taking any chances regarding mosquito bites and her sons Oliver and Cash.
"I’m not a helicopter mom by any sense, but malaria is not something that we can really work into our schedule right now," she said.
Six cases of Malaria reported in North Sarasota County since the end of May have her taking precautions.
"We are just kind of staying indoors in the evening times when we know the mosquitos get really bad and just making sure to apply bug spray or buggy bands whenever we are outside," she said.
Manager Wade Brennan hopes others are doing the same at Sarasota County Mosquito Management.
"It’s more important now than ever because what else can happen is you can bring that home and possibly hurt somebody that is in your family or friend circle. It’s important to take it personally, so take those actions," he said.
Since the end of May, crews with the county have sprayed 470 miles by truck and more than 36,000 acres by air. They continue to focus on Desoto Acres and the Kensington area.
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"We have foot crews that are either spraying larvicides which are pesticides used to spray the immature mosquitos before they even have a chance to bite. Those are being done through wood lots, backpacks, and ditches. We are all over the place. This is 90 percent of what we do. Killing those mosquitos before they even have a chance to bite anybody," said Brennan.
Anopheles is the type of mosquito that carries Malaria. After spraying, Brennan says their population remains low in the area.
The CDC has tested more than 120 mosquitos and detected the malaria parasite three times.
The last positive came back at the beginning of June.
Malaria can take time to be detected in both mosquitos and humans.
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"It’s important to keep those four-six weeks, and we will continue to monitor mosquito pools for about 90 days the last case before we are more comfortable with this situation until it’s been greatly lessened or eradicated," said Brennan.
Sarasota County asks residents to continue doing their part to lessen the chances of mosquitos.
That includes dumping standing water and wearing loose-fitting, long pants and shirts.
Anopheles is active from dusk to dawn.