Instead of products that promise to give Zika protection, the Attorney General’s Office says to look for products that contain DEET, which is proven to repel mosquitoes.
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The letters demand that the companies stop referring to their products as “Zika-protective” or “Zika-preventative”, according to a statement from the attorney general’s office.
Schneiderman also issued a warning about unproven repellent products made of vitamin B and those that claim to ward off mosquitoes by emitting a high-frequency buzzing noise.
The state’s top lawyer says those products simply don’t work.
NBC 4 NY has reached out to the companies accused of selling the products.
“While there is much we still don’t know about the dynamics of Zika virus transmission, understanding where the Aedes aegypti mosquito can survive in the USA and how its abundance fluctuates seasonally may help guide mosquito control efforts and public health preparedness”, NCAR’s Andrew Monaghan, who led the study, said in a statement. The three parts of the plan, labeled “Clinical Services”, “Mosquito Control”, and “Public Awareness” aim to address the virus from all sides.
“The things we can do right now about insect repellent, getting rid of standing water where we live, using screens and air conditioning and long clothing, those are really the same things we would do if it was here”.
The Centers for Disease Control Prevention says the most effective repellents contain DEET, Picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535.
Because of the possibility that Texas mosquitoes will start transmitting the Zika virus soon, state officials will give two cans of repellent per month through October 31 to women between the ages of 10 and 45.
Espinoza said the challenge with Zika virus is that, unlike other mosquito-borne illnesses like Dengue and Chikungunya, it can also be transmitted through human sexual contact.
Zika mosquitoes have been found in Florida and medical professionals say those most adversely affected by the virus are unborn babies and women hoping to get pregnant in the near future. Symptoms are typically mild – rash, fever, joint pain and red eye. “We’ll keep working as one team – federal, state and local – to try to slow and limit the spread of the virus”.
At least 15 people around Miami have already become infected locally with Zika, which has been linked to fetal deaths and severe birth defects in the children of women infected during pregnancy. “This proves that our product does repel mosquitos and insects”.
The Zika virus continues to infect in areas across the country.
Due to recent humidity and rain, Cooper said the area is “ideal” for mosquito breeding.
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“Here in CT, we’ve actively been taking steps to prepare for Zika, including a coordinated, cross-functional response across agencies”, said Malloy.
