In The Wake Of The Devastating Hurricanes, Two Gulf States Will Not Allow West Nile To Be The Next Disaster

In The Wake Of The Devastating Hurricanes, Two Gulf States Will Not Allow West Nile To Be The Next Disaster

When it comes to Gulf states that are devastated by hurricanes and bug-borne illnesses, Florida and Texas rank high on the list. Now that the fall season is approaching and the damaging hurricanes are subsiding, health officials in Texas and Florida are worried about a marked increase in mosquito populations. This obviously means that mosquito-borne illnesses, such as the West Nile virus, have yet to take their toll on the residents of these states. After the Zika scare last year, and the ever-increasing amount of West Nile cases this year, public health officials will stop at nothing to prevent outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases. This is why state officials, including politicians and public health experts, have agreed to use military-grade aircraft in order to spread insecticide across both states.

What is worrying public health officials the most is the abundance of stagnant water sources throughout Texas and Florida. These stagnant water sources have increased dramatically in response to the recent hurricanes that have ravaged the Gulf states. Mosquitoes absolutely love stagnant water because they offer ideal breeding grounds.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will use military aircraft in order to spread aerial insecticides. The insecticides will be released over the Houston area. This plan has already been approved in the state of Texas. Experts believe public health officials and policy makers in the state of Florida are going to implement the same plant once hurricane Irma has officially ended.

According to Chris Van Deusen, the Texas Health and Human Services spokesman, the spraying will begin this Saturday in eastern Houston and surrounding counties. An Air Force C-130 aircraft will be used to spray the insecticides, which have been dismissed as harmless to pets and humans. Hopefully, this aerial spraying makes the impact that experts are hoping for.

Do you think that all Gulf states should spray aerial insecticides just to be safe?