UF experts available to comment on insect problems after hurricanes

September 22, 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — An increase in standing water following the massive rains that accompanied recent hurricanes have health officials worried that mosquito populations may blossom. The following University of Florida experts are available to comment about mosquitoes and the diseases they carry.

West Nile virus and other mosquito-related diseases:

Jonathon Day, a professor of entomology at UF’s Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory in Vero Beach, can comment on the possible spread of West Nile encephalitis and other mosquito-borne diseases.

Dr. Kenneth H. Rand, an expert in clinical infectious diseases and clinical microbiology, can talk about the laboratory diagnosis of West Nile virus.

Maureen Long, a large-animal veterinarian who treats eastern equine encephalitis and other mosquito-transmitted diseases in horses, has expertise in mosquito-borne illness in domestic animals.

Dr. Robert Lawrence, a pediatrician who specializes in infectious diseases, can comment about West Nile virus in children.

Use of DEET-containing insect repellents:

Dr. Edward Ross, an internist who recently published a paper on the possible risks of using products that combine sunscreen and DEET.

Mosquito populations: John Capinera, chairman of UF’s department of entomology and nematology, can discuss the expected rise in mosquito populations and some methods for dealing with the problem.