IT'S THE TIME OF YEAR MOST SOUTH FLORIDIANS DREAD--
MOSQUITO SEASON.
AFTER THE ZIKA OUTBREAK OF 2016, OFFICIALS CONTINUE TO URGE
RESIDENTS AND TOURISTS ALIKE TO TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT
THEMSELVES.
PLUS, NEW RESEARCH WARNS RISING TEMPERATURES AND LONGER WARMING
PERIODS COULD MAKE THIS SEASON AND THOSE TO COME WORSE THAN
BEFORE.
HERE TO EXPLAIN IS DR.
WILLIAM PETRIE, DIRECTOR OF MIAMI-DADE
COUNTY'S MOSQUITO CONTROL.
DR.
PETRIE, GLAD TO HAVE YOU WITH US.
THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME.
THERE WAS AN ARTICLE IN THE PAPER THIS WEEK ABOUT WHAT IS
BASICALLY IN STORE FOR US POSSIBLY.
YOU CAME TO MIAMI-DADE COUNTY FROM THE CAYMAN ISLANDS, AFTER
30 YEARS WORKING ON MOSQUITO CONTROL.
TELL US WHAT YOU DID DOWN THERE.
YES I WAS 33 YEARS IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS, MOSQUITO RESET
AND CONTROL UNIT.
SO I STARTED OFF BASICALLY AT THE BOTTOM THERE.
WORKED MY WAY TO THE TOP.
AND WAS ABLE TO DO ORIGINAL STEPS TO GET MY PH.D. THERE AT
THE SAME TIME.
SO THE MOSQUITO SITUATION THEN IN CAYMAN IS SIMILAR, THE
PRINCIPLES ARE CERTAINLY THE SAME.
THE PRINCIPLE IS THE SIZE AND SCOPE OF CAYMAN ISLANDS,
COMPARED TO MIAMI-DADE.
THIS MOSQUITO SEASON WHICH YOU CALL IT MOSQUITO SEASON, WE
HAVE MOSQUITOS PRETTY MUCH ALL THE TIME.
NOW RAINY SEASON WE'RE GOING TO SEE THEM BREEDING AND MORE
MOSQUITOS.
THE ARTICLE IN THE PAPER WAS A LITTLE BIT FRIGHTENING AND
TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS WE COULD BE FACING.
ONE OF THE THINGS IT MENTIONED ALONG WITH ZIKA AND DENGUE WAS
YELLOW FEVER.
TELL US ABOUT THOSE DISEASES AND WHAT WE MIGHT BE SEEING COMING
INTO THE SEASON.
WE DO NEED TO BE PRUDENT, CONCERNED HERE.
I WOULDN'T SAY WE NEED TO BE SCARED.
THERE'S NO PANIC, WE DON'T HAVE AN EMERGENCY SITUATION.
WHAT WE'RE MONITORING IS WE KNOW THAT VARIOUS VIRUSES ARE
CIRCULATING AROUND US.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ZIKA, DENGUE, CHIKUNGUNYA.
AND THE THING ABOUT THESE DISEASES THEY'RE ALT TRANSMITTED
BY THE SAME SPECIES OF MOFNLGT.
WHILE IT'S A WHOLE AREA OF VIRAL DISEASES IT IS ONE SPECIES OF
MOSQUITO.
WE'RE SEEING AN OUTBREAK IN SOUTH AMERICA AND BRAZIL AND
CHIKUNGUNYA IN A SEPARATE PARTLY.
THESE THINGS ARE CERTAINLY ACTIVE, WE NEED TO BE WATCHING
WHAT'S GOING ON AS WE PREPARE FOR THE SEASON THAT IS ABOUT TO
BEGIN.
WHERE ARE WE WHEN IT COMES TO ZIKA?
WE'RE SEEING LESS ZIKA, LESS CASES OF ZIKA CIRCULATING SOUTH
OF US THAN PREVIOUSLY AND IT MAY WELL BE SOME IMMOOUNT IN THE
COUNTRIES THAT WERE BADLY AFFECTED LAST YEAR, YEAR BEFORE.
BUT WE NEED TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT DENGUE, AND CHIKUNGUNYA
HASN'T GONE AWAY.
IS ALL OF THESE ADVISORS HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO -- VIRUSES
HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF MOVING GEOGRAPHICALLY.
HUMAN BEINGS CARRY THESE DISEASE IS AROUND THE GLOBE.
IT'S NOT MOSQUITOS THAT ARE CARRYING THE DISEASE.
THEY HAVE BEEN BITTEN, THEY FLY IN FROM THE CARIBBEAN, SOUTH
AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA.
THEY BRING THE DISEASE INTO THE UNITED STATES.
YES.
HOW IS THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT ATTACKING THE DISEASE SO FAR?
WE'RE IN MAY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
WE'RE IN READINESS, WE'VE BEEN PREPARING FOR MONTHS.
BUT ONE THING I WOULD SAY UP FRONT IS, SOMETHING MANY THINGS
THAT THE -- SOME THINGS THAT THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATION DID WAS
FIRST OF ALL CREATE A MOSQUITO CONTROL DIVISION.
SO IT'S AN ENTITY, AN ADMINISTRATIVE ENTITY WHICH
HELPS FROM ABOVE.
ALSO, INCREASED THE BUDGET FOR MOSQUITO CONTROL FOR MIAMI-DADE
COUNTY.
FROM 2 MILLION TO 16 -- ONE AND A HALF MILLION TO 16
MILLION WHICH IS SIGNIFICANT IN ANYBODY'S TERMS.
AND INCREASED THE PERSONNEL, THE STAFF FROM AROUND 16 TO 60.
SO BOTH OF THOSE THINGS SHOW THAT'S COMMENDABLE TO ME.
SO IT REALLY SHOWS THAT THE EFFORT AND THE WILL, THE
FINANCIAL AND POLITICAL WILL, IS THERE.
TO ENSURE THAT MIAMI-DADE IS MADE SAFE.
HE QUICKLY, WHAT IS THE COUNTY DOING, THEY ARE GOING OUT
AND SPRAYING?
THEY'RE NOT SPRAYING YET?
WE ARE TOLD AS RESIDENTS TO DRAIN AND COVER.
IT IS ANG EFFORT ON THE PART OF THE RESIDENTS AS WELL AS THE
COUNTY CORRECT?
WHAT WE'RE DOING IS LARVA SITING.
THIS IS THE STAGES THAT BORROWED IN THE WATER.
WE WANT TO TREAT THOSE, KILL THOSE BEFORE THEY EMERGE AS THE
FLYING ADULTS TO TRANSMIT THE DISEASE.
AND BECAUSE THIS MOSQUITO, THIS DISEASE MOSQUITO, I MEAN WE USED
TO CALL THE YELLOW FEVER MOSQUITO, THE DEN GAIZ MOSQUITO,
THE SAME ONE, PEOPLE CAN HELP THEMSELVES, THEY CAN HELP
THEMSELVES AND THEIR NEIGHBORS AND THEMSELVES.
THE MOSQUITO ONLY BREEDS AROUND HOUSES AND YARDS AND IN
CONTAINERS, ANYTHING THAT CAN HOLD WATER.
THAT'S WHY DRAIN, DUMP ALL THOSE THINGS, YOUR POTS, COVERS,
ANYTHING THAT YOU HAVE OUTSIDE.
COUGHING YOUR BARBECUE.
GARBAGE.
YOU'D BE SURPRISED.
THESE MOSQUITOS CAN BREED IN ANYTHING THAT RETAINS WATER.
TEASPOON OF WATER, NOT A LOT.
IT CAN BREED IN VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER.
WE'RE OUT OF TIME.
WE'LL HAVE YOU BACK.
APPRECIATE IT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND FOR ALL THE TIPS WE DISCUSSED TODAY, GO TO
MIAMIDADE.GOV/MOSQUITO.
WE'LL HAVE THIS AND MORE INFO ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE, @YOURSOUTHFL.