PASCO COUNTY IS TAKING PROACTIVE ACTION TO HELP STOP DENGUE.

 

The Pasco County Mosquito Control District hosted a press conference to discuss the current dengue situation in our region and the proactive steps being taken to protect our community.

On Wednesday, Pasco County stood tall as a regional leader by becoming the first county in the Tampa Bay area to issue a Local State of Emergency in response to the ongoing dengue outbreak.

This is NOT a reason for alarm. It is a reason for action!

A Local State of Emergency is a preventative and proactive tool that gives Pasco County greater flexibility to access and coordinate additional resources, expedite necessary actions, and provide additional support to our public health and mosquito control response.

Importantly, dengue is not widespread in Pasco County. We currently have a low number of confirmed cases, and several cases have connections to areas of active transmission elsewhere in the Tampa Bay region. But dengue does not recognize county lines and thousands of people move daily throughout our surrounding counties potentially moving dengue along with them—therefore, our response should not be segmented by county lines either.

This is a regional public health concern, and we have an opportunity to act early to help keep the number of cases in Pasco County low and limit further transmission.

We are incredibly grateful to our partners at Pasco County Board of County Commissioners, Florida Department of Health in Pasco County, and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for their leadership, partnership, and continued support.

We encourage everyone to watch the full press conference and hear directly from PCMCD Executive Director Adriane Rogers about what is happening, why these proactive steps are important, and—most importantly—what YOU can do to help.

WE ALL HAVE A ROLE IN FIGHTING DENGUE.

Please:

• DRAIN standing water from containers around your home and property (bird baths, clogged rain gutters, used tires, flower pots, children’s toys, pet’s dishes, etc.).

• COVER exposed skin with loose-fitting, long sleeves and pants, shoes with socks and use a US EPA-registered mosquito repellent according to the label.

• SCREEN doors and windows and keep them in good repair in order to keep mosquitoes outside of your home.

• Remember that dengue-transmitting mosquitoes will bite during the day and at night.

• Eliminate containers and other items that can collect water and become mosquito production habitat.

The more we work together to eliminate mosquito production sites and prevent mosquito bites, the more we can do to protect our families, our neighbors, and our entire region.

Please watch, listen, and share this message far and wide. The fight against dengue is a team effort—and we are in this together.

Watch the full press conference below:

Pasco County Dengue Fever Press Conference

#PascoCounty #PascoMosquitoControl #Dengue #DengueFever #TampaBay #MosquitoControl #PublicHealth #DrainAndCover #OneCommunity #FloridaMosquitoControlAssociation