Florida health officials say they've launched a public awareness campaign in an effort to prevent another outbreak of dengue fever in Key West.
Dengue fever, which can be fatal, is transmitted through the bite of an infected female Aedes aegypti mosquito, the target of the current campaign, The Miami Herald reported Tuesday.
"No bugs, no dengue," said Bob Eadie, administrator of the Monroe County Health Department that along with government agencies, mosquito control, schools, the military and law enforcement launched the "Keys ABCD: Action to Break the Cycle of Dengue" campaign.
Disease-carrying mosquitoes can be eliminated in Key West by eradicating their breeding sites of standing water in and around homes and businesses, authorities say, but will require the collective effort of the community.
There have been 93 confirmed cases of dengue fever in Key West since 2009, the Herald reported.
At a community forum in Key West, Duane Gubler, an expert on tropical diseases, told residents the problem can be eliminated in the eight-square-miles city, the Herald said.
"This is a controllable mosquito," Gubler told the crowd.
"You in Key West probably have a greater opportunity than most places in the world because you're small, you're an island and you have some of the best experts in the world living right here in Florida," he said.
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