Pinellas County Announces Mosquito Control Education

Press release from Pinellas County:

August 6, 2020

Does it seem that the mosquitoes are worse this summer? For many people, they
are. And with the heart of the rainy season upon us, the situation could get
worse.

Today, Thursday, Aug. 6, Pinellas County is offering remote interview
opportunities with Alissa Berro, our Mosquito Control Education Outreach
Specialist. Alissa can discuss the unique challenges we're facing this summer,
and what steps residents can take to keep Florida's most uninvited guests
away. And if you're wondering whether mosquitoes can transmit COVID-19, she
can answer that, too.

Then, tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 7, at 12:30 p.m., Pinellas County Marketing &
Communications will host a Facebook Live event during which residents will be
able to submit questions. The event will feature Alissa Berro, Mosquito
Control Operations Manager Glen-Paul Edson and Florida Department of Health in
Pinellas County environmental epidemiologist Rachel Janssen Ilic. It can be
viewed here: https://www.facebook.com/PinellasCountyNews/live.
For your background here are some key ways the 2020 mosquito season is
different from last year's in Pinellas County:

- Despite average to slightly lower than average mosquito populations in the
2020 mosquito season, we have seen a dramatic increase in service requests
compared to 2019.

- Comparing 2020 service request totals to 2019 service request totals we saw a
44 percent increase in April, a 226 percent increase in May and a 219 percent
increase in June.

- With many citizens working from home and opting for backyard activities more
than usual due to COVID-19, residents may be finding they have container
breeding mosquitoes that they hadn't noticed before.

Alissa is available for remote interviews between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Today,
Aug. Aug. 6. If you need a time slot outside of that window, we'll do our best
to accommodate you. Contact Tony Fabrizio at the number or email address above
to schedule.

And remember, if residents are having mosquito issues at home or in their
neighborhood, they can call Pinellas County to schedule a service request at
(727) 464-7503.

This press release was produced by Pinellas County. The views expressed here are the author's own.