If a mosquito in Austin bites an infected person and then bites other people, that mosquito could spread the virus in a cycle called local transmission, said Phil Huang, medical director and health authority for Austin/Travis, Texas County Health and Human Services.
So far, Travis County has only seen two cases of Zika, and both persons were infected overseas. For most people, Huang said, the infection isn’t severe. Eighty percent of people don’t even get symptoms.
Because Zika has been found to cause problems for fetuses, pregnant women should be more careful. Huang said pregnant women shouldn’t to travel to countries affected by Zika, and doctor’s offices are asking about their travel histories and their partners’ travel histories. The disease can also be sexually transmitted.
At least two University of Texas mosquito experts — integrative biology professor Sahotra Sarkar and Alex Wild, entomology curator at UT’s integrative biology department — say local transmission via mosquitoes will likely occur in Austin by the end of the summer. Even so, Zika probably won’t affect Texas as badly as it has affected Latin America, Wild said — because Texans tend to spend more time indoors.
One particularly potent type of Zika-carrying mosquito, Aedes aegypti, is most likely to bite at dawn and dusk. Sarkar said another type, Aedes albopictus, has begun to appear more often in Central Texas and bites all day long.
Wild said urban insects like Aedes mosquitoes can spread dengue fever and other serious diseases along with Zika.
Huang’s office recommends that people keep an eye on small pools of water in their yards, such as those that can accumulate in flowerpots, toys and birdbaths.
“They like old yogurt cups and car tires and piles of rubbish by the side of the road where water pools for short periods of time,” Wild said.
To protect yourself from bites, mosquito experts recommend wearing long sleeves and pants along with using mosquito repellent. Look for a repellent registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Products containing DEET are long-lasting and effective, Wild said, and DEET has low toxicity.
“Some natural repellents, some of the citrusy ones are about as effective in the short term, but they don’t last as long,” Wild said.
He recommended careful research if you want to use a natural repellent — “some don’t work at all,” he said.
Zika: What we know
No vaccine exists to prevent Zika virus disease.
Prevent Zika by avoiding mosquito bites.
Mosquitoes that spread Zika virus bite mostly during the daytime; they also spread dengue and chikungunya viruses.
Prevent sexual transmission of Zika by using condoms or not having sex
What you can do
When in areas with Zika and other diseases spread by mosquitoes:
Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
Stay in places with air conditioning and with window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside.
Take steps to control mosquitoes inside and outside your home.
Sleep under a mosquito bed net if you are overseas or outside and aren’t able to protect yourself from mosquito bites.
Use insect repellents, as directed on their labels, that have one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, lemon eucalyptus oil or para-menthane-diol. Choosing an EPA-registered repellent ensures the Environmental Protection Agency has evaluated the product for effectiveness, as well as safety — even for pregnant and breast-feeding women.
SOURCE: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cdc.gov/zika/prevention
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