Officials: Major Zika outbreak unlikely in Nev.
By Pashtana Usufzy, Las Vegas Review Journal
Health officials say a disease believed to have caused a major increase in birth defects among Brazilian-born babies is unlikely to flourish in Nevada, though travelers could bring it to the state.
As of Thursday, 31 cases of Zika virus disease have been confirmed in the United States, but all are related to travel outside of the country, Southern Nevada Health District Disease Investigation and Intervention Specialist Tony Fredrick said. There are no known cases in Nevada.
Cases have been reported in 11 states, the District of Columbia, 20 countries in South and Central America, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
I’ve been following this story for months. It’s the real deal. We very well may see local transmissions within multiple southwestern US states in this next year. Move over Chikungunya and Dengue, Zika will steal headlines for at least the next year. Good news here in Tahoe is that it is highly unlikely we will see the two mosquito species capable of vectoring Zika, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Both are daytime ankle biters that live quite adeptly in an urban environment and are extremely hard for Vector Control agencies to surveil without homeowners assistance and vigilance.
If you are a pregnant woman thinking about traveling to subtropical regions in the Americas think twice or be sure to protect yourself from mosquitoes.
A noted science writer is giving a free lecture on emerging scary viruses at UNR 7:00 this Thursday.