At the invitation of City Manager Mike Herr, the City Commission received an update on the Zika virus Monday, Aug. 22, and what the Code Enforcement Department is doing to protect Plant City citizens against the virus.
Updates were given by Ryan Pedigo, the director of public health preparedness for Hillsborough County, and Tray Towles, code enforcement manager for the City of Plant City.
“One of the issues with Zika is that it’s a novel disease for us,” Pedigo said.
According to the World Health Organization, the first case of a human containing the Zika virus was in 1952, in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. The disease was brought to the United States within the last year.
As of mid-August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recorded a total of 2,260 cases of the Zika virus in the U.S.
Most cases of the virus have been related to travel. However, 14 cases — all in Florida — were locally acquired.
Though Hillsborough County has not seen a locally acquired case yet, Pedigo said, it doesn’t mean it can’t happen in the future. Florida has seen 419 cases reported, with 14 travel-associated cases in Hillsborough County.
“It’s transmitted by mosquitos, with humans as the host,” Pedigo said. “There’s a lot we’re still learning about this particular virus because it’s new.”
Prevention is Key
Pests that carry the Zika virus are known as Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which typically breed in standing water.
The City of Plant City’s Code Enforcement department has ordered 200 mosquito dunks. Dunks dissolve in standing bodies of water and release the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis. The bacterium becomes an effective way to kill the larvae of mosquitoes, preventing them from carrying diseases in the future.
“They’re all organic,” Towles said. “They won’t hurt fish. They’ll only kill (mosquito) larvae.”
The Code Enforcement team is placing the dunks in vacant homes with stagnant water, such as homes that have rain barrels. The department also has been visiting local tire stores and reminding them to discard older tires, which can serve as another breeding ground.
When the Code Enforcement team enters areas that are popular breeding grounds for mosquitoes, they wear repellent. The department’s uniforms consist of long sleeves and pants, further preventing exposure.
“It’s always great when we see our team being productive, especially with something like this,” Mayor Rick Lott said.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.