Population Outbreaks of Mosquitoes After Hurricanes Matthew and Irma and the Control Efforts in St. Johns County, Northeastern Florida.

Abstract

Major flooding occurred throughout St. John's County, FL, from Hurricane Matthew on October 8, 2016, and Hurricane Irma on September 11, 2017. The flooding caused mosquito population outbreaks in the middle of October in 2016 and September in 2017. Due to the mosquito population outbreaks, Anastasia Mosquito Control District (AMCD) received >3,500 service requests countywide in October 2016 and ≥1,400 service requests in September 2017. During the response to the mosquito population outbreaks caused by the hurricanes, AMCD collaborated with the Emergency Operations Center, Department of Health of St. Johns County, and local media, including television stations, newspapers, and radio stations for public outreach. The AMCD also employed contractors for aerial adulticiding and used every possible resource to successfully control the outbreaks of mosquitoes using both ground and aerial applications.