Manatee County Mosquito Control urges residents to keep backyards clean to prevent Zika

MANATEE -- If a Zika case is reported in Manatee County, officials say they're ready.

"We are prepared if we get any reported cases," Manatee County Mosquito Control Director Mark Latham said Wednesday.

While travel-related cases of the Zika virus have been reported in Florida counties, including neighboring Hillsborough County, Latham noted Zika is transmitted by mosquitoes that don't migrate.

"Obviously the more people in the county, the higher probability of you getting a reported case," he said.

Typically found in the Aedes aegypti species, the particular mosquito doesn't travel

more than 1,000 feet, usually remaining in a home's backyard, Latham said.

This mosquito, he added, "has been around forever."

As a precaution, residents should keep their backyards clean and empty anything that holds water as frequently as possible, Latham said.

Old tires, buckets and tarps on boats stored in the backyard are among water-holding containers to check regularly.

"Literally anything that can hold water, this mosquito will take advantage of," he said.

On the Manatee County Mosquito Control website, manateemosquito.com, a fact sheet on the Zika virus has been posted from the Florida Mosquito Control Association. According to the fact sheet, these mosquitoes live in close association with humans and "do not live in ditches, marshes or other large bodies of water."

"The public really needs to help us," Latham said. "We can't do this job without the public. We can't go in cleaning up everyone's backyard. ... Our primary method of control is education and trying to get the public to clean up backyards."

Health organizations, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recommend pregnant women avoid travel to destinations where Zika is found. Last week, Gov. Rick Scott declared a public health emergency in Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Santa Rosa, Lee and Broward counties for the Zika virus.

On Monday, Scott announced the CDC sent 950 Zika antibody tests to Florida. None of the 16 Zika cases in Florida was acquired locally or involves pregnant women, according to the news release.

"We will continue to do all we can to ensure our state is prepared for the possible spread of the Zika virus," Scott said.

The CDC has issued a travel alert for more than 20 countries, including Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname and Venezuela. The virus also has been found in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

There is little activity with these mosquitoes when daytime temperatures are lower than 70 degrees, Latham said.

"We are lucky we have had very cool temperatures," he said, adding the mosquito is tropical and subtropical.

Should a case be reported in the county, the Health Department will notify Mosquito Control, which will send inspectors to the area.

"First thing is to put boots on the ground in the area," Latham said.

Helicopters and trucks will spray in the areas with the highest threat.

"The biggest emphasis is on letting the public know that we really need help to clean up backyards," Latham said. "This is a time where it is very, very important to take that message."

Claire Aronson, Manatee County reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7024. Follow her on Twitter @Claire_Aronson.

This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 11:53 PM with the headline "Manatee County Mosquito Control urges residents to keep backyards clean to prevent Zika ."