Texas health department offers tips to avoid Zika

 

 

Submitted by highlander1 on

With the recent rains, health department officials are offering tips to keep mosquitos from breeding, especially as concerns about the Zika virus loom large.

No cases of Zika have been reported in Burnet County, but Texas has seen 22 confirmed cases as of March 10—including two in neighboring Travis County, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services’ website devoted to Zika in Texas. All but one of the 22 cases are related to people returning from travels to Central and South America, the regions with active Zika transmissions.

Because no vaccine or treatment is available for Zika, the “best protection to avoid infection is to prevent mosquito breeding and protect yourself from mosquito bites,” according to the DSHS.

An infected person could start a Zika outbreak in the United States if bitten by a mosquito in this country. Rarely, the virus is spread from mother to child. Spread of the virus through blood transfusion and sexual contact also has been reported, according to the DSHS.

Approximately 80 percent of people infected with the virus do not become ill. For those who do develop symptoms, illness is generally mild and typically lasts a few days to a week. The most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes).

Prevent Mosquito Breeding

  • At least weekly empty or get rid of cans, buckets, old tires, pots, plant saucers and other containers that hold water.

  • Keep gutters clear of debris and standing water.

  • Remove standing water around structures and from flat roofs.

  • Change water in pet dishes daily.

  • Rinse and scrub vases and other indoor water containers weekly.

  • Change water in wading pools and bird baths several times a week.

  • Maintain backyard pools or hot tubs.

  • Cover trash containers.

  • Water lawns and gardens carefully so water does not stand for several days.

  • Screen rain barrels and openings to water tanks or cisterns.

  • Treat front and back door areas of homes with residual insecticides if mosquitoes are abundant nearby.

  • If mosquito problems persist, consider pesticide applications for vegetation around the home.

Protect Yourself from Mosquito Bites

  • Wear Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents.

  • Cover up with long-sleeved shirts and long pants.

  • Keep mosquitoes out with air conditioning or intact window screens.

  • Limit outdoor activities during peak mosquito times

Additional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations:

  • Pregnant women and their male sex partners should discuss the male partner's potential exposures and history of Zika-like illness with the pregnant woman's health care provider.

  • Men with a pregnant sex partner who reside in or have traveled to an area of active Zika virus transmission and their pregnant sex partners should consistently and correctly use condoms during sex or abstain from sexual activity for the duration of the pregnancy.

  • Couples in which a man resides in or has traveled to an area of active Zika virus transmission who are concerned about sexual transmission of Zika virus may consider using condoms consistently and correctly during sex or abstaining from sexual activity.

For more information about Zika, visit the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) website at www.texaszika.org, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/zika.

 

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