A new health advisory has been issued for Orange County, Central Florida, by the Health Department.
A week after Hurricane Milton battered Florida, just two weeks after Hurricane Helene tore through the state and left destruction in its wake, the Health Department of Orange County has issued a health advisory for all residents and tourists to be aware and take preventative action against the spread of the West Nile Virus.
“A case of West Nile Virus was confirmed in Orange County, and officials are warning residents to watch out for mosquitoes and help eliminate breeding sites at their homes,” writes Click Orlando.
The locally acquired case of the West Nile Virus is thought to have stemmed from a mosquito bite. The Health Department is urging those in Orange County to dispose of stagnant water around their homes.
“Orange County Mosquito Control said Hurricane Milton left flooding in parts of the county,” the report continued. “Heavy rain may have also filled buckets, planters, bird feeders, and more. All of those can be mosquito breeding grounds.”
Officials are advising Orange County residents to be cautious when emptying small bodies of standing water by covering exposed skin and wearing mosquito repellant.
According to Florida Health, West Nile Virus “is characterized by headache, fever, pain, and fatigue.” In more extreme cases, West Nile Virus can become neuroinvasive, “which may involve meningitis and encephalitis and can cause irreversible neurological damage, paralysis, coma, or death,” the government website states.
Orange County, which houses the Walt Disney World Resort along with Osceola County, is home to almost 1.5 million Americans, who, according to this new advisory, should now exercise caution.
As for those in Walt Disney World, the resort is known for being surprisingly mosquito-free. The answer to why seemingly lies in the fact that all water at the resort is moving, and the park is constructed in a way that limits the chance of water collecting in places that may provide apt breeding grounds for the insects.
It was only a week ago that the Category 3 storm, Hurricane Milton, tore across Florida. Its descent onto the Sunshine State came just two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the area, claiming hundreds of lives.
As a result of Hurricane Milton’s path and severity—the storm reached Category 5 status shortly before making landfall—and the risk to life, the parks in Central Florida, including Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort, closed their gates.
For Disney World, the closure lasted Wednesday afternoon through Friday morning, with guests remaining inside their resort hotels.
How do you feel about this new health advisory?