Miami and Orlando have the highest risk for Zika-carrying mosquitoes, according to a new risk assessment map created by NASA and public health officials.

  • NASA map shows Miami and then Orlando have the highest risk for an abundance of the mosquito species known to carry Zika
  • Public health officials will use this to help control the disease's spread
  • Mosquito control officials say residents can help by limiting standing water around their home

Red on the map means a high risk for an abundance of the Zika-carrying mosquito species Aedes Aegypti. Orlando comes just after Miami for the highest risk area in the U.S.

NASA said they took key factors, like temperature, rainfall and socioeconomic factors that might contribute to the spread of the virus.

Researchers said this new data can help public health officials effectively target resources to fight the disease. They said they need the public’s help to control the spread. 

“We’ve got warm weather and lots of rain here, so we may have more potential for mosquitoes than other parts of the country,” said Kelly Deutsch, the acting manager of Orange County Mosquito Control.

Deutsch said they are constantly trying to control the mosquito population, but spraying insecticide is not effective for killing all mosquitos.

“The best control measure is actually to just remove the larval source – the water altogether,” Deutsch said.


Mosquito larva resemble tiny tadpoles in water.

Deutsche displayed a sample of mosquito larvae in a small cup of water, which resembled dozens of tiny tadpoles. 

“They really, really only like tires and bird baths and overflowing flower pots, that kind of a thing,” Deutsche said.

Experts said if you can’t drain all standing water, there are tablets from local home improvement stores that can be placed in the water to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.

“These little briquettes we can put in bird baths and other small bodies of water,” Deutsche said. “So if you’ve got a fountain, you could put something like this in the water and you’re good for 30 days.”

Right now the only cases of Zika in the United States were contracted by people traveling outside of the US or in a few cases where it was sexually transmitted.

They are currently 94 cases of Zika in Florida.

We also asked mosquito control if our pets could be susceptible to contracting the Zika virus, and they said so far no evidence suggests that they could be affected.