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Brandon infant dies from mosquito-borne virus

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 29, 2010

Updated: 07/29/2010 03:08 pm

TAMPA - A second person in Hillsborough County, an infant, has died from the mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis, the health department said.

Tests confirmed Wednesday the child who lived in the Brandon area died from the virus, which is spread from the bite of an infected mosquito, the Hillsborough County Health Department said.

A woman in northwest Hillsborough died July 1 from the disease, which can cause swelling of the brain. The virus was confirmed July 16.

The infant's death is the third this year in Florida from eastern equine encephalitis.

The county health department increased its alarm level to a mosquito-borne illness alert from an advisory, which was issued after the first death.

Alerts are issued when more than one case is confirmed.

Though frequently fatal, eastern equine encephalitis is rare. The woman's death was the first in the United States since 2008 and in Hillsborough since 1964.

A person in Wakulla County in the Panhandle died from the illness last week, said Padriaic Juarez, a spokesman with Wakulla's heath department.

Typically, eight to 10 deaths from eastern equine encephalitis are reported each year in the United States. It is rare to see two in the same county in a year, said Steve Huard, Hillsborough health department spokesman.

"It's unusual and tragic to have one of the deaths be an infant," Huard said. "This is a countywide and regional issue."

The county will begin aerial mosquito spraying from 5 to 7:30 a.m. Friday in the Brandon area.

The aircraft will cover 23,000 acres within the boundaries of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on the north, South Parsons Avenue on the west, East Bloomingdale Avenue on the south and South Forbes Road on the east.

In addition, trucks will spray at night and workers will spray standing water during the day to kill mosquito larvae.

After the first death, the aircraft sprayed nearly 70,000 acres north of Waters Avenue and west of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard over three nights.

Hillsborough County Mosquito Control officials will decide Friday whether to spray the region between last week's spraying and the area to be sprayed Friday, said Carlos Fernandes, the department's director.

Even before the first death, officials warned this could be a bad summer for mosquito-borne diseases.

Although the number of mosquitoes is about the same as other years, the virus is more prevalent.

Monitoring for disease-carrying mosquitoes this year has yielded more positive tests than in the past three or four years, Fernandes said.

So far, 18 chickens the county uses to monitor for the presence of viruses have been infected with mosquito-borne diseases. In addition, four horses died from equine encephalitis between Citrus Park and the Pasco County line and another horse near Plant City died from the virus, Fernandes said.

"Everybody should be very, very careful and avoid being outside after dark," he said.

There has been little sign of mosquito-borne viruses south of Hillsborough Avenue.

Mosquitoes spread the disease after biting infected birds that harbor the virus, then biting a person. The virus can also be transmitted to horses by mosquitoes. It does not spread from person to person, horse to horse or horse to human.

One mosquito that transmits the disease typically flies and bites at night and is active in the early evening. Also, it will bite during daylight if disturbed where it rests in vegetation, Fernandes said.

Another mosquito carrier typically bites at night, he said.

There is a vaccine for horses but not for people.

Mosquito-borne diseases are preventable by avoiding mosquito bites.

Health officials say diseases like Eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile virus can be avoided by taking precautions against mosquito bites.

• Avoid being outside around dusk and dawn when most mosquitoes feed. One species believed to transmit Eastern equine encephalitis usually feeds from dusk to about three hours after sunset.

• Wear clothing that covers as much of your skin as possible. Wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants. Make sure the clothing is loose-fitting. Mosquitoes can bite you through tight clothing.

• Use repellent containing DEET. Oil of lemon eucalyptus or Picaridin are options. However oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children younger than 3 and DEET is not recommended for children 2 or younger. Avoid applying any repellent to the hands of children.

• You can use mosquito netting over infant strollers when outside. At night, their cribs can be covered by the netting.

• Empty containers of standing water around your house that can act as nurseries for larval mosquitoes. Don't forget gutters. The mosquito that carries dengue or break-bone fever breeds in containers around houses.

Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731.

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