Appearing before the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, Dr. Kacey Ernst, an associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, said assessing the Zika threat is made hard by an “incomplete understanding” about how the virus is introduced into human cells and “our lack of ground-based surveillance of the geographic and seasonal distribution” of the Aedes aegypti mosquito that delivers it. That’s especially true when it comes to mosquito repellents.
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The vile virus can leave babies with under-developed brains if their mums are infected during pregnancy.
After mapping New Mexico for the mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus, Hanley and Buenemann will begin another project to map Zika virus transmission in Borneo to find out which animal species are transmitting the virus. One thing that’s being considered, Jenkins said Wednesday, is making Dallas a test site for genetically modified mosquitoes made by Oxitec, a British company. There are quite a few mosquito-borne illnesses out there, so be careful.
Genetically modified mosquitoes could mean curtains for the Zika virus. In addition, the surveillance of chickens doesn’t detect Zika because it’s a human virus. Pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding should choose an EPA-registered insect repellent and use it according to the product label. Additionally, he emphasized that people should apply repellent on top of sunscreen and not the other way around.
With the data collected from the summer program, fliers with information on how to protect against mosquito bites and breeding will distributed through the county to schools to inform students and their parents about prevention methods.
Fix and seal your septic system.
Unclogging gutters and runoff drains.
Repairing cracks or gaps in septic tanks and covering tanks’ open vents or plumbing pipes with wire mesh with holes smaller than an adult mosquito.
Use permethrin-treated clothing and equipment.
Clarke Mosquito Control collects data through the use of chickens, who are placed throughout the county where they are bit by mosquitoes and then tested for diseases.
Residents can ask for assistance from the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District, which tests mosquitoes for viruses and places mosquito fish in horse troughs and other containers of standing water, among other services.
When hosting guests outside, keep the air moving.
Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out any items that hold water like vases and flowerpot saucers.
Check window or door screens and fix as needed to ensure that mosquitoes can not enter.
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“Nassau County continues to advise residents to heed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) travel alert, advising pregnant women to avoid travel to countries where there is known transmission of Zika virus”, said Health Commissioner Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein.
