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Hillsborough boosts budget to help in battle against Zika virus

 
Aedes aegypti, behind the Zika virus, breeds in urban areas and is out during the day.
Aedes aegypti, behind the Zika virus, breeds in urban areas and is out during the day.
Published Feb. 18, 2016

TAMPA — As the world grapples with Zika virus concerns, Hillsborough County is pumping money into fighting mosquitoes.

Commissioners voted 7-0 on Wednesday to raise the Public Works Department budget by $475,870 — or 12 percent — to increase efforts to eradicate mosquitoes known to carry the virus. Of that amount, $88,000 is for personnel services, largely overtime, and $387,870 is for operating expenses.

"It's common sense," Commissioner Al Higginbotham said.

Public Works director John Lyons told commissioners the county will set up additional mosquito traps in 20 locations. The species of mosquito that carry the virus tend to congregate and breed in urban areas, often in man-made containers.

In recent weeks, the county has collected 209 tires from rights-of-way, and 363 additional tires were turned over by residents in an amnesty program. About 450 abandoned pools were inspected, and standing water and trash were removed from 100 illegal dumping sites.

The mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus, which sparked an international health crisis and may be linked to a rise in brain defects in newborns, don't live long. But they also are not easy to kill through traditional methods. For example, they are mostly out during the day, which reduces the effectiveness of nighttime chemical spraying.

"We will strategically spray," Lyons said. "We don't want to use chemicals to use chemicals. Overuse is not good."

Douglas Holt, director of the Hillsborough County Department of Health, said three people in Hillsborough County have been infected by the Zika virus, but all are no longer contagious. All three contracted the disease during travel.

Though Zika is not spread person-to-person, the concern is that mosquitoes here can feed on travelers and potentially bite and transmit the virus to others.

The biggest worry is preventing the mosquitoes from biting pregnant women and those intending to become pregnant, officials say. The Zika infection has been linked to microcephaly, a rare brain birth defect in newborns whose mothers were most likely infected early in their pregnancy. Thousands of cases of microcephaly have been identified in Brazil, where Zika is considered epidemic.

Holt also said the department is currently testing six pregnant women here daily to "provide information that will help them."

Contact Steve Contorno at scontorno@tampabay.com.