As of Tuesday afternoon, 16 cases of the Zika virus had been reported in Florida, including one case in St. Johns County.
But that didn’t stop health officials from going into action.
State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Dr. John Armstrong issued last week a declaration for public health emergency for the counties with residents who have contracted Zika virus: Hillsborough, Lee, Miami-Dade and Santa Rosa.
On Thursday, Broward County was added and on Friday, Osceola and St. Johns counties also were included on the health emergency list.
According to the state Department of Health, which is issuing daily updates on the virus that can be spread by biting mosquitoes, all cases to date are travel-associated, meaning the people infected picked up Zika in a foreign country and then brought it with them to Florida.
Duval County is not considered at risk for the virus at this time but the city has a program in place since 1957 to control the source of Zika virus transmission.
Most people who contract Zika virus report flu-like symptoms that usually go away in about a week.
What’s caused the current focus on the virus is there is no vaccine against it and its danger to women who are pregnant or may become pregnant.
In South America, where thousands of cases of the virus have been reported, Zika has been linked to birth defects.
Two species of mosquitoes are implicated in the transmission of Zika and they are among us, said Marah Clark, an entomologist with the Mosquito Control Division of the city’s Regulatory Compliance Department.
Of 70 species of mosquitoes that live and breed in Florida, 47 are found in Duval County, she said.
That includes the mosquitoes associated with Zika: Aedes aegypti (also called the Yellow Fever mosquito) and Aedes albopictus (also called the Asian tiger mosquito).
The Aedes aegypti is the mosquito that transmitted Yellow Fever in Florida during the late 1880s. In Jacksonville, more than 4,600 people were infected in 1888-89 and more than 450 died from the disease.
The 19th-century outbreak led to the establishment of the state Department of Health.
Duval County began its year-round mosquito control program in 1957.
One of the methods used is ultra-low-volume pesticide that’s applied in a fine mist by trucks often seen traveling through neighborhoods in the evening.
Mosquito eggs hatch and transform into larvae before becoming adults and taking wing, so the city also sprays larvicide on standing water.
Clark said larvae are easier to kill than adult mosquitoes and residents can be the first line of defense.
“Mosquitoes can breed in a teaspoon of standing water,” she said.
It’s important to remove water in flower pots, birdbaths and discarded tires. Clogged gutters also can provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
“If people are concerned, they should check their property for standing water,” said Clark.
Two of the state’s three public health testing laboratories, in Jacksonville and Tampa, have the capability to test for Zika virus.
The test for the active virus is commercially available and Gov. Rick Scott has authorized the immediate purchase of 4,000 test kits.
The antibody test that determines if someone has recovered from the virus is available only from the federal Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. Scott said Tuesday 1,425 of the tests have arrived in Florida from the CDC.
Scott also asked the CDC last week to conduct a conference call to help educate hospital workers — particularly obstetricians and gynecologists and other health care providers who work with pregnant women — about how Zika is spread, its symptoms, treatments and proper precautions.
So far, none of the cases in Florida have involved pregnant women.
As of Tuesday, the conference call was not scheduled.
How to reduce Zika virus threat
• Drain any standing water
• Discard old tires; drill holes in tires used as playground equipment to drain trapped water
• Remove or discard broken or unused toys in your yard, especially children’s pools
• Keep lids on the garbage cans to prevent the can and the lid from filling with water
• Keep all eaves and gutters clear of debris that could hold water
• Tighten tarps on boats or other equipment to prevent standing water
• Replace water in any birdbaths or water dishes/troughs at least twice a week
• Repair leaking outdoor spigots that create pools of water
• Check plants with large leaves that may collect water and flush as needed
• Empty water that collects in plant drip trays
• Keep window and door screens in good repair
• Screen doors should open outward and have automatic closing devices and latches
• Check for and drain standing water in pots, buckets or items stored outside
• Cover yourself with appropriate clothing: long sleeves, pants, shoes and socks
• Use EPA registered repellents, such as those with either DEET, Picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus
Source: City Mosquito Control Division
(904) 356-2466