Mosquito Control Operations Resume Amid Irma Cleanup

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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — Hurricane Irma may be gone but the mosquitoes the storm left behind could be here a while which is why health officials are asking Florida residents to help prevent mosquito breeding after the storm.

The state's Department of Health said in a recent statement there are no areas in Florida where mosquitoes are transmitting Zika, dengue or other viruses to people. However, even nuisance mosquitoes not carrying diseases can breed in small amounts of water.

Health administrators say residents should drain containers holding water, discard debris where water could collect and repair torn screens to keep insects from coming indoors.

Mosquito control officials in Miami-Dade and Collier counties and the Florida Keys say they have replaced traps and resumed pesticide spraying from trucks or aircraft. Truck spraying typically targets mosquito larvae while aerial spraying aims to kill adult mosquitoes.

Officials said power outages where people cannot avoid pesticides by staying indoors may affect spraying schedules.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)