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Mosquito-Borne Disease Guidebook

Vector-Borne Disease Surveillance Coordinator

  •  (850) 901-6887
  •  

    Fax

    (850) 414-6894
  •  

    Division of Disease Control and Health Protection (DCHP)

    4052 Bald Cypress Way 

    Bin A-12 

    Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1720



Florida Mosquito-Borne Disease Guide

This series of documents establish guidelines for detecting and monitoring mosquito-borne diseases and minimizing the risk of human infection. The information contained herein describes agency coordination and responsibilities in the control of mosquito-borne diseases and explains the components of the state surveillance system and responses to identified disease activity, which will assure that appropriate prevention and control methods are initiated promptly and effectively. These documents are updated on an as needed basis and the date of the last update is included for each section. Select a chapter for a summary.   Glossary of Terms


Control of arthropod-borne diseases in Florida is coordinated through interagency cooperation at the state and local levels. Intensification of surveillance and initiation of control measures occur in response to evidence of increased transmission in nature. Different agencies become involved at various times during routine surveillance. Therefore, a crucial part of a good surveillance program is to disseminate information to the proper agencies and persons.

Chapter One

Interagency Arbovirus Task Force Contacts

Chapter last updated: February 18, 2019

The following document provides information on select zoonotic mosquito-borne viruses in Florida. Information on St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV), West Nile virus (WNV), and Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is included, as well as additional zoonotic arboviruses of interest.

Chapter Two

Chapter last updated: February 18, 2019

In addition to the arboviruses that are endemic to the United States, several exotic arboviruses of public health importance are transmitted between people by mosquitoes. These viruses present a risk of introduction by an infected traveler or immigrant. Dengue fever, Zika fever, chikungunya fever, yellow fever, and Rift Valley fever are some examples of these exotic arboviruses and are summarized in the following document.

Chapter Three

Chapter last updated: February 18, 2019

Response

The County Health Department (CHD) Epidemiology Guide to Disease Surveillance and Investigation, an online resource, is designed to maintain standard disease investigation, control, prevention and reporting across the state regardless of CHD location and assists CHD epidemiology staff by providing detailed guidance related to the investigation, control, and prevention of general categories of reportable disease.

This chapter serves as a guide for the surveillance and investigation of zoonotic mosquito-borne viruses.

Chapter Four

Chapter last updated: October 30, 2018

The County Health Department (CHD) Epidemiology Guide to Disease Surveillance and Investigation, an online resource, is designed to maintain standard disease investigation, control, prevention and reporting across the state regardless of CHD location and assists CHD epidemiology staff by providing detailed guidance related to the investigation, control, and prevention of general categories of reportable disease.

This chapter serves as a guide for the surveillance and investigation of dengue fever and chikungunya fever.

Chapter Five

Chapter last updated: October 30, 2018

The County Health Department (CHD) Epidemiology Guide to Disease Surveillance and Investigation, an online resource, is designed to maintain standard disease investigation, control, prevention and reporting across the state regardless of CHD location and assists CHD epidemiology staff by providing detailed guidance related to the investigation, control, and prevention of general categories of reportable disease.

This chapter serves as a guide for the surveillance and investigation of Zika virus disease and infection.

Chapter Six

Chapter last updated: January 8, 2019

The County Health Department (CHD) Epidemiology Guide to Disease Surveillance and Investigation, an online resource, is designed to maintain standard disease investigation, control, prevention and reporting across the state regardless of CHD location and assists CHD epidemiology staff by providing detailed guidance related to the investigation, control, and prevention of general categories of reportable disease.

This chapter serves as a guide for the surveillance and investigation of yellow fever.

Chapter Seven

Chapter last updated: December 4, 2018

The following document provides background information on malaria, a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite. Approximately 200 million of the world’s population are infected each year and around half a million people die from malaria annually. Although malaria is no longer endemic in Florida, it is often seen in travelers returning to the state from malaria-endemic regions of the world.

Chapter Eight

Chapter last updated: February 18, 2019

This chapter provides additional information on human mosquito-borne diseases surveillance activities in Florida that are not covered in depth in the guides for surveillance and investigation. Please refer to the Guide for Surveillance and Investigation of Zoonotic Mosquito-Borne Virus and the Guides for Surveillance and Investigation of Chikungunya, Dengue, Yellow Fever, and Zika for more detailed information on surveillance and response to arboviruses of public health importance in Florida.

This chapter provides information on non-human mosquito-borne disease monitoring activities in Florida.

Chapter Nine

Chapter last updated: February 18, 2019

The ideal mosquito-borne surveillance program measures the amount of viral amplification and transmission in nature and reliably provides information on the risk of human disease. A complete surveillance program consists of monitoring arboviral seroconversion rates in sentinel chickens, weather patterns, the abundance of vector and amplification host species, and the incidence of human and animal disease. The ultimate goal of surveillance is to increase our ability to predict when and where arboviral transmission to humans is likely to occur so that vector and disease control activities can be implemented prior to the beginning of an epidemic. Continuous local surveillance is also invaluable in monitoring both the progress and the cessation of periods of epidemic risk to humans.

This chapter provides information on non-human mosquito-borne disease monitoring activities in Florida.

Chapter Ten

Chapter last updated: February 18, 2019

Mosquito-borne disease cycles are complex and often involve multiple mosquito species and several vertebrate host species including humans. Virus transmission can be sporadic (spatially and temporally dispersed) or focal (spatially and temporally isolated). This response plan for mosquito-borne diseases is intended for use by county health department public information officers and mosquito control districts. The plan can also be used regionally for adjoining counties with similar habitats and ecologies, but it is not a response plan for the state as a whole.

Chapter Eleven

Chapter last updated: February 4, 2022

Education messages should be targeted to at-risk populations (example: emphasize high risk of St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) and West Nile virus (WNV) illness for homeless and the elderly) in low-literacy forms and in languages appropriate to the local population. Media should be used, including radio, newspaper, and television public service announcements.

Chapter Twelve

Chapter last updated: February 18, 2019

*Note: This page contains materials in the Portable Document Format (PDF). The free Acrobat Reader may be required to view these files.