With public concern about the mosquito-borne virus Zika, UF/IFAS Extension provides tips on how to avoid contracting the virus.
Although the Zika virus is circulating in Central and South America and the Caribbean currently, there is no evidence that local populations of Florida mosquitoes are infected. However, Floridians need to be prepared and vigilant in case local transmission occurs, said Jorge Rey, professor and interim director of the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory in Vero Beach.
Roxanne Connelly, an Extension medical entomology specialist with FMEL, part of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, provides the following:
• People need to do all they can to manage the mosquitoes most likely to be involved in Zika virus transmission in Florida if the virus shows up in local mosquitoes. These mosquitoes are among those known as “container mosquitoes,” specifically the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, and the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus.
• Initial measures include getting rid of containers in your yard or outside your business, because they collect water and become perfect habitats for immature stages of these mosquito species. These include tires, wheelbarrows, potted plants that sit on saucers, cans, bottles and more. You should inspect your yard weekly to make sure you don’t have any containers. Bromeliad plants and birdbaths also can house container mosquitoes. For these types of mosquito habitats, they can be flushed with clean water weekly or can be treated with mosquito-specific Bti granules (Mosquito Dunks or Mosquito Bits).
• Inspect windows and doors for hole and tears and repair them to exclude mosquitoes.
• Mosquito repellents should be used when people plan to be outdoors at the time mosquitoes are biting. The longest lasting repellents contain DEET and picaridin. Whatever type of repellant you use, read the label to make sure you’re putting on a product registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Public concerns about Zika triggered UF/IFAS scientists to write a new Extension document to explain the virus and mosquito transmission. The paper can be found at http://bit.ly/1QTLDqO. FMEL scientists also have crafted a new question-and-answer document for their website, http://bit.ly/1O0eLbi.
Additionally, scientists at the FMEL are applying for research funding to work on the Zika virus, Rey said.
FMEL scientists do not yet know how effectively local Florida populations of mosquitoes will be able to transmit the Zika virus to humans.
There are no vaccines yet to protect you against Zika. That’s why protection against mosquito bites is so vital, Connelly said.