Broward Mosquito Control Sprays Larvicide After Locally Transmitted Case Of Dengue

BROWARD (CBSMiami) – Crews with Broward Mosquito Control sprayed larvicide throughout Miramar and Fort Lauderdale Monday night.

This comes hours after inspectors went door to door in parts of South Broward getting the word out about a locally transmitted case of dengue.

"So they've been out checking the plants and checking for mosquitoes, which I'm very happy for," Resident Beverly Yapp said.

Many people have already seen fliers left behind encouraging them to look around their yards for stagnant water.

Catherine Rodriguez is well aware of the problems associated with mosquitoes.

"We don't come out at night because they are kind of bad around here," Rodriguez said. "It's scary, it's scary."

Crews fanned out in a Hollywood neighborhood checking properties.

Inspector Steve Garcia spotted stagnant water in an old tire, where he found mosquito larvae swimming around. He'll be checking to see if the larvae he found are Aedes aegypti, the kind that can carry dengue.

Just one mosquito can infect several people.

"The way it works is someone contracts dengue from another place, then back here in our area, that has been bite by an Aedes aegypti mosquito, then that mosquito bites another healthy person and that's how the disease is spread," explained Anh Ton, the head of Broward's Mosquito Control Division.

It doesn't take a lot of water for mosquitoes to breed. A half-full cap of a bottle of water can be more than enough.

The CDC says a person who is bitten by a mosquito and contracts dengue may have a headache, rash or even nausea and start vomiting. It's recommended to see a doctor, drink plenty of fluids and rest. The CDC also says infants and pregnant women are more likely to get severe cases.

Ton told CBS4 News he has extra crews working in the areas where they're seeing a concentration of the type of mosquito that can carry Dengue.

"Currently, the higher number of mosquito that carry the disease, Aedes aegypti mosquito, are in the southern part of the county, particularly in Hollywood, Pembroke Pines and Davie," he said. "That's where our crews are concentrated right now."

Crews are trying to kill off the mosquitoes before they're adults with wings. As for the flying mosquitoes with the disease, there's a different product used to battle them.

The county says the larvicide is organic and not a threat to people or pets.