Fairfax County General :
Fairfax Underground
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Zika comes to Fairfax County
Posted by:
Somalia Man
()
Date: June 20, 2016 05:31PM
Dear Parent or Guardian,
With mosquito season here, it is important to take steps to protect yourself, your family and your community from mosquitoes and the diseases they can carry. This year we are particularly concerned with an emerging disease threat called Zika, a virus that has been spreading throughout Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean and parts of the Pacific and is linked to severe birth defects in children born to infected mothers.
So far there have been no cases of local transmission from mosquitoes in the continental United States and the people at greatest risk for acquiring Zika have been those who travel to the affected areas. However, now that mosquito season is here, there is concern that local mosquitoes could potentially pick up the virus from an infected traveler and spread it to others.
Members of our community are understandably concerned about Zika, so I wanted to provide you with some information about ongoing efforts to enhance the Fairfax community’s readiness for this emerging disease threat. While we continue to learn about Zika, the Health Department is taking steps to help control its spread and keep our residents safe. We are increasing our surveillance capacity and testing of mosquitoes to enable us to determine when Zika is present within our local mosquito population.
In addition, we are working within the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Zika Plan and engaging our local public health partners to integrate our prevention and response activities. These activities may include performing targeted larval and adult mosquito control if human and mosquito surveillance suggests local transmission of the virus is occurring. While the County’s planning efforts have been extensive, preventing mosquito-borne diseases like Zika requires a community-wide effort and approach.
The Asian Tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), one of the most common mosquitoes in Virginia, has been identified as a potential transmitter of the Zika virus. Unlike other mosquitoes, this species flies and bites during the day and prefers to lay their eggs in artificial containers holding even a small amount of water (such as toys, tires, flower pot saucers, buckets, kiddie pools, tarps and corrugated downspout extensions). These mosquitoes do not lay their eggs in surface waters such as puddles, ditches, ponds, creeks or marshlands. Because they do not fly very far and are usually found around our homes, the most effective way to prevent the spread of Zika through mosquitoes is by eliminating breeding sites in our own backyards and taking steps to prevent mosquito bites.
Although the following action steps won’t eliminate the possibility of Zika transmission completely, they are prudent steps that all of us can take to prevent the spread of many types of mosquito-borne diseases:
Eliminate standing water.Check your yard weekly and tip and toss standing water from containers like tires, buckets, flower pots, corrugated drain pipes, tarps, bird baths, toys, etc. Discard containers or place indoors. Tightly cover water storage containers (rain barrels, cisterns) so mosquitoes cannot get inside.
Treat standing water with a larvicide if it cannot be eliminated. Products such as Mosquito Dunks are available at hardware stores and garden centers. If you can’t get rid of the water, treat it to control mosquito larvae.
Wear insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR 3535.Insect repellent is safe and effective for children and pregnant women too. Always apply according to label instructions. If using sunscreen, apply sunscreen first and then repellent.
Dress to protect. Cover exposed skin by wearing loose-fitting, light-colored long-sleeved shirts and pants. For extra protection, treat clothing with permethrin or purchasing permethrin-treated clothing and gear. Never apply permethrin on skin and always follow label instructions.
Keep mosquitoes out of your home. Keep doors and windows closed. Make sure screens are in good repair. Use air-conditioning when available.
Work with your neighbors or HOA to organize a neighborhood clean-up. Get rid of litter and debris, recycle or discard old tires and manage vegetation that mosquitoes may be using as hiding places.
A fact sheet on Zika is included with this letter (http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd/westnile/wnvpdf/zika-fact-sheet.pdf). For additional information, please visit the Health Department’s website at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd .
Controlling Zika is everyone’s responsibility. I encourage you to do your part from the start to prevent and protect against mosquitoes by eliminating standing water around your home, using insect repellent and wearing long, loose and light-colored clothing when spending time outdoors.
Sincerely,
Gloria Addo-Ayensu, MD, MPH
Director of Health
With mosquito season here, it is important to take steps to protect yourself, your family and your community from mosquitoes and the diseases they can carry. This year we are particularly concerned with an emerging disease threat called Zika, a virus that has been spreading throughout Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean and parts of the Pacific and is linked to severe birth defects in children born to infected mothers.
So far there have been no cases of local transmission from mosquitoes in the continental United States and the people at greatest risk for acquiring Zika have been those who travel to the affected areas. However, now that mosquito season is here, there is concern that local mosquitoes could potentially pick up the virus from an infected traveler and spread it to others.
Members of our community are understandably concerned about Zika, so I wanted to provide you with some information about ongoing efforts to enhance the Fairfax community’s readiness for this emerging disease threat. While we continue to learn about Zika, the Health Department is taking steps to help control its spread and keep our residents safe. We are increasing our surveillance capacity and testing of mosquitoes to enable us to determine when Zika is present within our local mosquito population.
In addition, we are working within the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Zika Plan and engaging our local public health partners to integrate our prevention and response activities. These activities may include performing targeted larval and adult mosquito control if human and mosquito surveillance suggests local transmission of the virus is occurring. While the County’s planning efforts have been extensive, preventing mosquito-borne diseases like Zika requires a community-wide effort and approach.
The Asian Tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), one of the most common mosquitoes in Virginia, has been identified as a potential transmitter of the Zika virus. Unlike other mosquitoes, this species flies and bites during the day and prefers to lay their eggs in artificial containers holding even a small amount of water (such as toys, tires, flower pot saucers, buckets, kiddie pools, tarps and corrugated downspout extensions). These mosquitoes do not lay their eggs in surface waters such as puddles, ditches, ponds, creeks or marshlands. Because they do not fly very far and are usually found around our homes, the most effective way to prevent the spread of Zika through mosquitoes is by eliminating breeding sites in our own backyards and taking steps to prevent mosquito bites.
Although the following action steps won’t eliminate the possibility of Zika transmission completely, they are prudent steps that all of us can take to prevent the spread of many types of mosquito-borne diseases:
Eliminate standing water.Check your yard weekly and tip and toss standing water from containers like tires, buckets, flower pots, corrugated drain pipes, tarps, bird baths, toys, etc. Discard containers or place indoors. Tightly cover water storage containers (rain barrels, cisterns) so mosquitoes cannot get inside.
Treat standing water with a larvicide if it cannot be eliminated. Products such as Mosquito Dunks are available at hardware stores and garden centers. If you can’t get rid of the water, treat it to control mosquito larvae.
Wear insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR 3535.Insect repellent is safe and effective for children and pregnant women too. Always apply according to label instructions. If using sunscreen, apply sunscreen first and then repellent.
Dress to protect. Cover exposed skin by wearing loose-fitting, light-colored long-sleeved shirts and pants. For extra protection, treat clothing with permethrin or purchasing permethrin-treated clothing and gear. Never apply permethrin on skin and always follow label instructions.
Keep mosquitoes out of your home. Keep doors and windows closed. Make sure screens are in good repair. Use air-conditioning when available.
Work with your neighbors or HOA to organize a neighborhood clean-up. Get rid of litter and debris, recycle or discard old tires and manage vegetation that mosquitoes may be using as hiding places.
A fact sheet on Zika is included with this letter (http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd/westnile/wnvpdf/zika-fact-sheet.pdf). For additional information, please visit the Health Department’s website at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd .
Controlling Zika is everyone’s responsibility. I encourage you to do your part from the start to prevent and protect against mosquitoes by eliminating standing water around your home, using insect repellent and wearing long, loose and light-colored clothing when spending time outdoors.
Sincerely,
Gloria Addo-Ayensu, MD, MPH
Director of Health