Adult, larval insecticides pack deadly punch to mosquitoes, Zika

The PRC mobilized all its chapters nationwide to make available helpful guides on how to prevent and deal with the disease through social media sites and other information sources, especially in Central Visayas where recently confirmed cases were recorded.

People with the Zika virus disease can have symptoms including mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache. In late July the neighborhood became the first place in the USA mainland to have mosquitoes transmitting the virus to people.

“We can check this particular group of mosquitoes off the list here in the USA and focus efforts of control on the mosquitoes that we know can infect, like Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus”, said Stephen Higgs, from the Kansas.

“Aerial application appears to be our strongest tool”.

“The findings are quite striking”, he added.

Officials started out using sprayers loaded with Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), a bacteria that can kill developing insect larvae in water.

Since there is no vaccine to prevent Zika, the evidence that aerial spraying could work was a boon to public health efforts.

“We’re doing everything we can to do educate the public and have the same success in Miami Beach as we have in Wynwood”, Scott said.

The new funding is in addition to $36.2 million in state funds Scott has allocated to help pay for mosquito control, Zika testing and other resources to combat the virus, which is spreading in a 4.5-square-mile area of Miami Beach between Eighth and 63rd streets from the ocean to the bay.

Transmission has also been mosquito-borne and there was no reported case of infection through sexual transmission. Celeste Philip, Florida’s surgeon general, who also spoke at the briefing.

On the same day officials in Florida declared the Wynwood section of Miami, “ground zero” for the Zika virus in the state, no longer “active” for local transmission, officials from a state halfway across the country expressed concerns over a “pending disaster” involving the mosquito-borne infection.

There have been 12 travel-related cases of Zika in our state.

The Zika virus may cause a severe birth defect called microcephaly where babies are born with abnormally small heads.

The results may not be easy to repeat in nearby Miami Beach, where tall buildings make aerial spraying more hard.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a level two travel advisory for persons visiting the Bahamas in last month; however, Mr Wilchcombe said officials have not seen any cancellations or reductions.

TDH and CDC recommend women and men with possible exposure to Zika virus consult with their healthcare providers about attempting conception.

Finally today, the Brazilian Butantan Institute announced it will begin human trials of a DNA-based Zika vaccine within the next 2 months, according to reports from China.

But the CDC isn’t exactly advising pregnant women to go to Wynwood.

Spraying insecticide from a truck or backpack wasn’t as effective as aerial spraying, which reduced mosquito populations more than 10-fold, the CDC reported.

“I have traveled multiple times to Washington this year to meet with Congressional leaders to tell them how urgent this need is”, said Scott, who wrote a piece for USA Today condemning Congress’ inaction.