+

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.

Close
HomeQuizzoneWhatsappShare Flash Reads
 

Florida is spending millions to deal with a surge in mosquitoes after Hurricane Ian to help curb the spread of disease

Oct 23, 2022, 23:23 IST
Insider
Street flooding is seen near City Hall and the Seminole County Courthouse as the St. Johns River reaches major flood stage, causing Lake Monroe to breach the sea wall in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in downtown Sanford.Pauln Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
  • Hurricane Ian hit Florida in late September causing massive flooding.
  • The standing water from the flood led to hordes of mosquitoes, NBC News reported.
Advertisement

State and local officials in Florida are spending millions trying to address a surge in mosquitoes after Hurricane Ian in an effort to curb the spread of disease, NBC News reported.

"The mosquitoes are out there, and they're biting," Eric Jackson, the deputy director of the Lee County Mosquito Control Division told NBC News. "It is just a constant effort to knock down as many of those flying, adult mosquitoes as fast as we can."

Dozens of people died when the hurricane hit Florida in late September. Heavy rain caused major river flooding across Florida. The standing water from the flooding led to hordes of mosquitoes flying around, NBC News reported.

Those insects can spread diseases like West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis. The state alongside counties is investing millions into sing planes and helicopters to spray pesticides from the air above flood areas to kill off mosquitoes.

FOX13 reported that in Polk County Mosquito Control said they had 700 requests for mosquito control when they returned to their office following the storm. NBC News reported that in the week following the storm, Lee County, another area badly hit, saw a rise in the number of mosquitoes caught in traps. Over 107,000 mosquitoes were collected in the traps in the first 12 days of October compared to only nearly 34,000 in all of October 2021.

Advertisement

"Imagine a couple thousand coming at you. That's the big concern after hurricanes and large flooding events," Daniel Markowski, a technical adviser for the American Mosquito Control Association told NBC News. "The sheer number of mosquitoes can make any daily life activity horrendous."

You are subscribed to notifications!
Looks like you've blocked notifications!
Next Article