Lee County Helicopters Join Tampa's Fight Against Record Dengue Outbreak

Three helicopters lifted off from Tampa Executive Airport around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday to help spray Hillsborough County neighborhoods for mosquitoes, as the county's dengue outbreak grows into the largest in the state by a wide margin.

The aircraft belong to the Lee County Mosquito Control District, which sent crews and equipment north to assist Hillsborough's own mosquito control teams. The helicopters staged at Tampa Executive Airport before flying treatment runs targeting the mosquito populations tied to dengue transmission, according to local media reports.

The help comes as state numbers make clear why Hillsborough is getting outside reinforcements. The Florida Department of Health's latest arbovirus surveillance report shows Hillsborough County has logged 170 locally acquired dengue cases this year, nearly 90% of every locally acquired case reported anywhere in Florida.

No other county comes close. Miami-Dade has also reported 7 cases, Orange County 3, and Palm Beach 1. Statewide, Florida has counted 190 locally acquired dengue cases and 212 travel-associated cases so far this year, through the week ending Sept. 19.

State surveillance also found 17 dengue-positive mosquito pools across Florida this year. Sixteen of them were in Hillsborough County. The other was just over the county line in Pasco.

What the helicopters are actually doing

Hillsborough County has said in its own announcements that the aerial missions apply liquid Bti larvicide, a bacterial treatment that kills mosquito larvae before they hatch and bite. It does not affect people or pets. County notices this month have named specific target areas including East Lake, Riverview, Bloomingdale and Town 'N Country, with contractors and county crews rotating between them depending on where trap counts and virus activity in mosquitoes are highest.

Residents in areas being treated may notice helicopters flying low during daylight hours. The county has said it will keep posting neighborhood-specific notices as new treatment zones are added.

A regional response

Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties have each declared local states of emergency over dengue, a step that lets them tap mutual aid and outside resources like Lee County's helicopters. At a news conference Sept. 29, Pasco officials said they declared their emergency early, before the virus spread widely there, because thousands of people move through the Tampa Bay region every day and waiting for a bigger outbreak would make it harder to contain.

Dengue spreads through bites from infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Most people who catch it never develop symptoms, but those who do can get a high fever, severe muscle and joint pain, nausea and rash. Severe cases are less common but can require hospitalization.

Lee County officials say their district is one of the largest mosquito control agencies in the country and has responded to disease outbreaks elsewhere, which is part of why Hillsborough asked for the help. The county has not said how many more days the borrowed helicopters will fly or how many additional neighborhoods will be added to the treatment schedule. Hillsborough's mosquito management office continues to post updated spraying notices as new areas are identified.

Want to keep up with how the outbreak response unfolds in your neighborhood? Follow along with more coverage on Tampa Community Website, and find us on Facebook and Instagram. Share what you're seeing in your area or ask questions in our Community Forum, and check out more public safety stories and healthcare coverage from around Hillsborough County.