Zika fears, prevention on minds of health officials

Health officials have their eyes trained on the Zika virus.

The spreader of the virus thought to cause birth defects in newborn children is the Asian Tiger Mosquito, one of the most common in Prince William County. With the Zika threat migrating north, public health officials are sped up the time it takes to get test results returned to check if someone is positive for the virus.

“It was taking about six to eight weeks to get information back. Now I’m proud to say the state lab can test and turn around the most accurate test in five days,” said Alison Ansher, with the Prince William County Health Department.

Most people who contract the virus don’t show any symptoms. The virus must be in the bloodstream for at least a week for a test to produce accurate results, said Ansher.

Pregnant women are specifically at risk as the disease is suspected of causing birth defects in newborns. Expectant mothers are encouraged to avoid unnecessary travel to infected areas, wear Permethrin-treated clothing, and stay indoors with air conditioning.

The virus is spread sexaully, so officials warn those who have traveled to Zika-infected areas to practice safe sex or abstinence.

Originally all the Zika virus was isolated in Rhesus monkeys and isolated in Nigeria. It was first found in 1954, said Ansher. Today, the original virus has adapted and spread like H1 N1, and candida influenza, and is now able to cause more serious illness.

Tim McGonegal with Prince William County public works said the Asian Tiger Mosquito can breed in a bottle cap of water, and mostly in artificial containers. He urged people with water in buckets of standing water on their properties to dump it out.

“These mosquitoes have been a thorn in my side for the 12 years I’ve been in mosquito control,” he said.

Asian Tigers are daytime biters, different from other mosquitoes that bite at dusk. The county’s public works office has six years worth of monitoring data on the mosquito and knows where they are most common in the county.

Public works crews use sprayers attached to trucks to pre-treat neighborhoods for the West Nile Virus, another mosquito-borne virus. Crews will use backpack sprayers in the event a Zika case is reported locally, said McGonegal.

Officials will continue spreading the word about Zika and its potential impacts to our region by working with schools, homeowners associations, and holding public meetings.

The next scheduled public meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 6, at from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center – Hylton Education Center, located at 2300 Opitz Boulevard in Woodbridge.