Locally Acquired West Nile Virus Case Reported In Sarasota County: FL Health Officials

Updated: Monday, 10:20 a.m.

SARASOTA, FL — The Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County has issued a mosquito-borne illness advisory after confirming a human case of locally acquired West Nile virus illness, according to a news release from the department.

The agency is coordinating with Sarasota County Mosquito Management Services to monitor the situation and prevent further transmission.

Mosquito control treatments have already been conducted in the affected area, the news release said.

Prior to this, there have been five human cases of mosquito-borne West Nile Virus cases in Florida this year so far, according to the health department’s most recent Florida Arbovirus Surveillance report for Oct. 11-17.

Two of these locally acquired cases were in Alachua County, and one each in Duval, Holmes, and Walton counties.

The Sarasota-area case was recorded after the dates included in this report.

The case comes as Florida continues to contend with a significant outbreak of dengue fever.

The state has recorded 745 dengue cases this year, including 425 locally acquired, according to the state's Oct. 11-17 Arbovirus Surveillance report, Patch previously reported.

The Tampa Bay area accounted for the bulk of locally acquired infections, with Hillsborough County reporting 346 cases and Pinellas County reporting 51.

Although dengue and West Nile virus are different illnesses, both can spread through infected mosquitoes, underscoring the importance of mosquito bite prevention.

Health officials are urging Sarasota County residents to take precautions, including using EPA-approved insect repellent according to label directions, wearing long sleeves and pants when outdoors and eliminating standing water around homes where mosquitoes can breed.

The Florida Department of Health continues statewide surveillance for mosquito-borne illnesses, including West Nile virus, Eastern equine encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, malaria, chikungunya and dengue.

Residents are also encouraged to report dead birds to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, as birds can serve as indicators of West Nile virus activity in an area.

Find more information about mosquito-borne illnesses and prevention online here.

See Also:

• Mosquito-Borne Illness Advisory Issued In Manatee
• West Nile Virus Cases Grow In Active Mosquito Year
• FL Dengue Outbreak Reaches Historic Levels As New Cases Surge