The Zika virus—a mosquito-borne virus known to yield severe birth defects—made international news originally from the southern reaches of South America. Media has been tracking it as it has moved north and infiltrated the United States, and now, Florida lawmakers are requesting increased funding to fight the Zika virus.
Dennis Moore, District Director of Pasco County Mosquito Control, compares the Zika epidemic to the hurricanes with which Florida is often forced to contend.
“The hurricanes come across. We don’t know where the hurricane is going, and similarly, we don’t know where Zika might end up this year. Last year, it was in the Miami area. This year, we don’t know where it’s going, and we can’t sit and wait for it to happen. We can’t be reactive to this. We have to prepare ahead of times [sic]. So, we need the additional funds to help our programs to prepare.”
In 2016, there were over 1,600 Zika cases. A sizable percentage were cases involving pregnant women while the rest were either travel-related or locally acquired. Mosquito controllers operated that year within the confines of a budget of $2.6 million.
