Mosquito spray giveaway to help prevent Zika

While Southwest Florida spends millions to prevent mosquitoes from spreading Zika here, 84-year-old retiree Estelle Mazzocca on Tuesday armed herself with one of the best preventative weapons available to the public: $5 bottles of bug spray.

“I walk every morning,” said Mazzocca, of Naples. “I’m out at 6:30 in the morning, so I’m worried about water pools. There are mosquitoes on my screen when I go out many times.”

It's wise to be careful: The number of Floridians testing positive for Zika this year has topped 900, including 109 who were infected by virus-carrying mosquitoes inside the state — most in Miami-Dade County, the Department of Health reported Tuesday.

Mazzocca was one of about 160 people who lined up for DEET-containing “Deep Woods OFF!” that the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida distributed for free outside of Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers.

The organization has given away 22,000 bottles of insect repellent at similar events throughout Southwest Florida and through its partner agencies.

Public health agencies have confirmed 12 Zika infections in Lee County, seven cases in Collier County and one in Charlotte since they began tracking infections in January. All were infected outside the country, according to the state Department of Health.

The Lee County Mosquito Control District has received reports of suspected Zika infections throughout the county, except for Sanibel and Pine Island, said spokeswoman Shelly Redovan.

Though that could easily change. Mosquito season never really ends in Florida, Redovan said.

“It might slow down a little bit because, mainly as the rain slows down, the containers won't fill up like they do in the summertime,” she said. “But it won't necessarily go away.”

Zika usually produces no symptoms or mild illnesses in otherwise healthy people.

But the virus has been linked to debilitating birth defects, making it a particular danger for pregnant women. At least 90 pregnant Florida women have been infected, though the state’s Department of Health has not disclosed where they live.

“I know I don’t want it,” said Jesse Reddick, who picked up two bottles of insect repellent at Lee Memorial Hospital on Tuesday. “I’ve got enough problems. I’ve been looking at the news, so I knew about this.”

Given that most confirmed cases have been on the state’s east coast, turnout to recent Harry Chapin mass-distribution events has been modest, organization staffers say.

They have tried to spread the word through appearances through local news outlets and, on Tuesday, by holding up handwritten signs announcing the giveaway to vehicles passing on South Cleveland Avenue.

“That’s the challenge. There are plenty of people who need it, it’s getting the word out,” said Richard LeBer, president and CEO of the Harry Chapin Food Bank. “Obviously, Zika is more of a hot-button issue in Miami. But people are at potential risk here, and we don’t want Zika to spread here.”

Wisconsin-based SC Johnson, the world's largest producer of insect repellent, provided the repellant as part of $15 million global campaign this year to help slow the spread of mosquito-borne disease.

The Harry Chapin Food Bank received 28,000 bottles to distribute in Southwest Florida, including the 2,000 they had on hand Tuesday at Lee Memorial Hospital.

More than 500,000 units of donated repellent will ultimately be distributed through the statewide network of food banks known as Feeding Florida.

Follow this reporter on Twitter: @FrankGluck

Where to get free insect repellent

The Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida will distribute 125 cases to eight partner agencies in Glades and Hendry counties on Oct. 5. Another 125 will go to 17 partner agencies in Charlotte County on Oct. 12.

Upcoming mass distribution to the public include the following:

• Oct. 4 — Amigos Center, 106 S. Second St., in Immokalee (2 to 4 p.m.)
• Oct. 11 — Sacred Heart Church, 211 W. Charlotte Ave., in Punta Gorda (2 to 4 p.m.)

For more information, call 239-334-7007.