Miami-Dade County Health Department Mosquito-Borne Illness Advisory
The Miami-Dade County Health Department recently issued a mosquito-borne illness advisory for the entire county after a human case of West Nile virus was confirmed in a 27-year-old male resident. Surveillance and prevention efforts, led by the Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control Division and the Health Department, are under way. However, everyone is encouraged to take basic precautions to help limit exposure by following basic recommendations. The easiest and best way to avoid West Nile virus is to prevent mosquito bites through personal protection methods and the elimination of places where mosquitoes lays their eggs, primarily artificial containers that hold water.
All county residents are encouraged to:
Cover your skin
• Clothing — If you must be outside when mosquitoes are active, cover up. Wear shoes, socks, long pants and long sleeves.
• Repellent — Apply mosquito repellent to bare skin and clothing and use according to the label. Repellents with 10 to 30 percent DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon, eucalyptus, and IR3535 are effective.
• Use mosquito netting to protect children younger than 2 months old.
Cover doors and windows with screens
• Keep mosquitoes out of your house. Repair broken screening on windows, doors, porches and patios.
Drain standing water
• Drain water from garbage cans, buckets, pool covers, coolers, toys, flowerpots or any other containers where sprinkler or rainwater has collected.
• Empty and clean birdbaths and pet water bowls at least once or twice a week.
• Maintain swimming pools and keep them appropriately chlorinated. Empty plastic swimming pools when not in use.
For more information about mosquito-borne illnesses, visit the Miami-Dade County Health Department website. Questions and comments can be directed to the medical campus emergency manager at 305-243-9466 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).