All articles tagged with #mosquitoes
Disney World uses layered, engineering- and ecology-based methods to limit mosquitoes across its Florida properties, from curving roofs and heavy drainage to biological controls and low‑dose repellents. Homeowners can adapt many tactics: eliminate standing water, treat containers with larvicides, choose non‑puddling plants, try garlic sprays, and use traps or biological predators.
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that transmit dengue are expanding their range in warm, urban areas, with Florida’s Hillsborough County reporting a local outbreak (134 cases) and a dengue-related death. The spread is driven by warmer temperatures, rapid urban growth, and travel, meaning more U.S. cases are now acquired locally or after travel. While most dengue infections are mild, a minority can progress to severe disease and even death. There is no general antiviral cure or vaccine for everyday travelers; prevention hinges on avoiding mosquito bites and eliminating standing water.
New York City has logged 30 West Nile virus cases this year (as of Sept. 18, 2026), already exceeding the 2025 total of 18; Brooklyn leads with 11 cases, followed by Queens and Staten Island (7 each), the Bronx (3) and Manhattan (2). Of the cases, 24 are the neuroinvasive form (encephalitis, meningitis or paralysis). Health officials attribute the surge to warmer temperatures and humidity that boost mosquito populations and viral replication, with many infections mild or asymptomatic and thus underreported; 1,700+ positive mosquito pools this year indicate a larger outbreak, and the city continues mosquito-control efforts. West Nile is the only mosquito-borne disease in NYC.
The Florida Department of Health confirmed a Hillsborough County woman died from dengue fever—the state's first dengue-related death this year—as locally transmitted cases surge in the Tampa Bay area. Through Sept. 12, Florida logged about 152 dengue cases in the summer (134 in Hillsborough; Pinellas and Miami-Dade each with seven), with the CDC reporting over 330 cases statewide in 2026. Experts say hotter summers and more rain are fueling mosquitoes; local crews are reducing the vector population, but residents must eliminate standing water to prevent further spread. The death occurred Sept. 4 at Tampa General Hospital and involved dengue infection with septic shock and multi-organ failure.
NYC has reported 23 West Nile Virus cases this year—already more than all of 2025’s 18—spread across all five boroughs, with 18 cases classified as neuroinvasive and 5 as fever-only. Health officials warn many infections are mild or unreported, while climate-driven warmth and rainfall are boosting mosquito activity, evidenced by a record 1,600+ positive mosquito pools. People 65+ and those with chronic conditions face higher risk of severe illness, and preventive steps include using EPA-registered repellents and eliminating standing water.
Two Georgia families are grappling with West Nile virus infections: a Cobb County grandmother with a weakened immune system is in ICU after being infected, and a 76-year-old Cherokee County man has been hospitalized for weeks as the virus attacks his nervous system. Doctors warn that CNS involvement is rare but serious, especially for the elderly and immunocompromised, with recovery potentially taking months. Officials urge mosquito precautions and removing standing water, and Georgia reports its first West Nile death of the year as cases typically rise through October.
Scientists in Southern California are releasing hundreds of thousands of Wolbachia-infected male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to suppress the local population, since these males do not bite and can mate with wild females to produce nonviable eggs. The approach aims to reduce disease risk (dengue) as warmer, longer seasons expand mosquito habitats, with success measured by declines in biting female mosquitoes. The effort mirrors EPA-approved Wolbachia Use and similar programs worldwide, highlighting how climate change is intensifying the need for innovative vector control.
Dengue fever is spreading worldwide as the Aedes mosquito expands into new regions, with the World Health Organization noting a surge in cases (over 14 million in 2024 across about 100 countries, a 2,600% rise since 2000). Most infections are mild or asymptomatic, but about 1 in 20 can progress to severe dengue, a potentially life‑threatening condition that requires prompt medical care. Warmer temperatures, urban growth, and global travel fuel transmission, including locally acquired cases in the U.S. such as Florida. Prevention centers on avoiding mosquito bites and eliminating standing water; there is a vaccine but it’s not for general travelers, so protection and early treatment remain crucial.
Dengue-carrying Aedes mosquitoes are expanding into new areas, including Florida, with Hillsborough County reporting 95 locally acquired cases since July 2026 and a death in September 2026 that family members say was due to dengue (not yet confirmed by state health officials). The disease is spread by day-biting mosquitoes, and while most infections are mild, some progress to severe dengue, which can be fatal without prompt care. A dengue vaccine exists but is not advised for the average American traveler; prevention focuses on avoiding bites and eliminating standing water. Global warming, urban growth, and travel are fueling the spread, and though most U.S. cases are travel-related, rising local transmission in Florida underscores growing domestic risk.
A Weather Channel piece says rising temperatures are expanding the West Nile virus transmission window in the United States, with more days conducive to mosquito-borne spread as the climate warms.
This summer sees a higher-than-usual spread of mosquito-borne illnesses in the U.S., led by an early, active West Nile season and locally acquired dengue in Florida, as warmer temperatures and longer mosquito seasons expand mosquito activity and range, prompting warnings and emphasis on prevention and surveillance.
Extreme heat, humidity, and recent rainfall are boosting Southern California mosquitoes, causing an earlier, longer season, more bites, and rising West Nile virus activity; officials urge residents to take protective measures such as window screens, repellents, and long sleeves.
UF researchers confirmed the first U.S. sighting of Aedes amateuri in Arizona's Madrean Sky Islands (Santa Rita and Dragoon Mountains) and possibly near the New Mexico border; the species can bite humans but is not currently known to spread diseases. The discovery underscores ongoing surveillance for invasive mosquitoes as climate change and global connectivity raise detections, even as public-health risk remains uncertain.
Florida battles a dengue fever surge with local transmission and aerial pesticide spraying in Tampa, amid rising U.S. cases; the roundup also covers Lori Loughlin’s divorce, LG smart-TV privacy concerns, and Senator Roger Marshall’s history of suing patients for medical debt.
Florida health officials report rising locally acquired dengue cases in Tampa Bay and statewide, prompting stepped-up mosquito surveillance, inspections and spraying; residents are urged to remove standing water, use repellents, and follow the three Ds—dress, defend, and dump—to prevent transmission as case counts climb in several counties.