Swarm Of Mosquitoes Expected In Harvey Aftermath
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HOUSTON, TEXAS (CBSMiami) -- Standing water from Harvey could create a major boom in the mosquito population and mosquito-borne diseases, a health expert warns.
Joon Lee is a medical entomologist at the University of North Texas Health Science Center.
He says Harvey's floodwaters will wash away immature mosquito populations from their breeding grounds, but they can be quickly re-established in stagnant water.
Lee says mosquito populations will likely explode within the next two weeks and will stay for at least a month or two.
That could mean increased transmission of potentially life-threatening, mosquito-borne diseases such as West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis, said Lee.
Lee says outbreaks of Zika, dengue fever and Chikungunya are also possible, but those diseases must originate from a person already infected.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)