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Mosquito control prepared to respond if Zika case in Lake Worth was acquired locally

Health department continues its investigation
Posted at 8:00 PM, Aug 25, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-26 04:35:55-04

The Florida Department of Health continues its investigation into how a Lake Worth woman contracted Zika.

The woman, who did not want to be identified, exclusively spoke with NewsChannel 5 saying she believes she contracted the mosquito-borne virus in Lake Worth.

RELATED: More Zika coverage

Palm Beach County Mosquito Control said crews have visited the woman’s neighborhood three times. Today, crews sprayed pesticide around her home to kill mosquitoes that might transmit the disease.

The Lake Worth mayor is urging residents to be prepared, but stay level-headed.

Pam Triolo said after Zika cases popped up in Miami, Lake Worth rolled out safety messages in electric bills and on social media.  

“To let them know to be prepared. To take this seriously, but also to be calm,” Mayor Triolo explained.

Rick Short is staying calm. He lives in Lake Worth and spends a lot of time outdoors. He says he
regularly drains standing water from his construction site; eliminating breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Alyssa Altiere lives in the general neighborhood under the microscope. She’s happy to know crews are taking this threat seriously.

“It’s a little reassuring. Especially since I heard they are going out and spraying areas with pesticides and doing more and more research about it. So hopefully it can be contained,” Altiere said.

Chris Reisinger has been stocking up for Palm Beach County's fight against Zika. 

Today, the environmental analyst at the county’s mosquito control department received two new sprayers. Reisigner said they'll replace older, less reliable systems used on pick up trucks. 

“In the event something happens, we really need a machine to knock down the virus,” Reisinger explained.

A grant from the state paid for the purchase. 

If health experts confirm mosquitoes in Palm Beach County are transmitting Zika, Reisigner said teams will use those trucks to spray areas where the suspected mosquitoes live. 

“We are prepared for it and preparing for it, so if it's here, we're all professionals, we know what to do and we'll take care of it,” he said.