Official: Mosquito numbers dropping in Miami's Zika zone

The Associated Press
August 10, 2016 at 9:21PM
Miami-Dade mosquito control manager Chalmers Vasquez examines a sample of standing water with mosquito larvae in it during field tests in Miami, July 22, 2016. Aerial spraying of insecticide began Thursday in the one-mile square area of Miami where local mosquitoes have infected people with the Zika virus, and officials reported some glimmers of progress.
Miami-Dade mosquito control manager Chalmers Vasquez examines a sample of standing water with mosquito larvae in it during field tests in Miami, July 22, 2016. Aerial spraying of insecticide began Thursday in the one-mile square area of Miami where local mosquitoes have infected people with the Zika virus, and officials reported some glimmers of progress. (New York Times/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

MIAMI — Miami-Dade County's mosquito control director says the insect's population is dropping in the Miami neighborhood health officials have linked to 21 Zika infections.

The Miami Herald reports (http://hrld.us/2aLZJMy ) that at a special county commission meeting Tuesday, Chalmers Vasquez said his department finds just one mosquito a day in each trap in the Wynwood district. He said about two dozen mosquitoes were found daily in the traps two weeks ago.

The county hired contractors to boost its 12-person mosquito control staff to nearly 100 people. Vasquez said his department is responding to thousands of residents' complaints about bug infestations.

Mayor Carlos Gimenez said insecticide is being dropped into 150,000 storm drains. Deputy Mayor Alina Hudak said $300,000 is being spent on ads urging residents to eliminate standing water on their property.

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