BRIDGEPORT – The city is hoping to teach residents to protect themselves against Zika virus and other mosquito-borne illnesses by spreading information on the critters and the diseases they carry.
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Health officials say they are also aggressively monitoring mosquitoes for the Zika virus, which to date has not been detected in mosquitoes in the city.
Lougene Marsh, director of the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment, emphasized the importance of people returning from Zika-affected areas “to exercise extreme caution to avoid being bitten by a mosquito”.
As of June 20, 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that all Zika cases reported in the USA were acquired as a result of travel outside the country. “We have the mosquito and the question is will it get here or not”, explained Schulte.
The positive test is the first in Wisconsin since surveillance started in May for West Nile Virus, which spreads to humans through mosquito bites, according to Public Health Madison Dane County.
There’s a Mosquito Season phase that includes infections from travel or sex, which is where Missouri and Kansas would be, near the lower end of the scale.
The Zika virus is now on the radar of local health officials after the carrier mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti, were found in Madera and near Fresno in 2013. The National Institute of Health is also working on a vaccine they expect to begin testing by early fall.
It read: ‘Given the possibility that Zika virus can cause severe malformations in unborn babies, and taking a very cautious approach, pregnant women should discuss any travel plans with the travel doctor and consider postponing travel to Indonesia’.
And, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said couples trying to conceive should abstain or wear condoms for six months if the male has confirmed or suspected Zika. What Does Zika Virus Mean for the Children of the Americas?
The best way to protect yourself from mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus is to protect yourself from all mosquitoes by using insect repellent, wearing long sleeved clothing, and keeping your yards and surroundings clear of standing water.
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Zika can be transmitted from mother to child and cause microcephaly in newborns, a defect which causes a child to be born with an abnormally small head and which often leads to intellectual disabilities and speech problems.
