The mosquitoes spreading the Zika virus in South America, Latin America and Caribbean countries are not in Mississippi as far as the state Department of Health knows.
Dr. Thomas Dobbs, epidemiologist for the state Department of Health, told The Dispatch that although the state is preparing for a potential small outbreak, no one thinks an outbreak is likely. Certainly not one like those reported in Brazil, according to Dobbs.
A reason for this is Mississippi’s lack of the type of mosquito that is spreading the virus in Brazil — the Aedes aegypti. This particular type of mosquito exists in the U.S. in parts of Florida but hasn’t been seen in Mississippi since 1986, according to Dobbs.
“It doesn’t mean it’s not here in some small pockets,” he said. “But it’s not known to be here currently.”
Three Mississippi residents have been diagnosed this year with the Zika virus, including one in Noxubee County and one in Oktibbeha County. All three had traveled to Haiti recently, according to DOH.
The virus can cause serious birth defects if contracted by pregnant women and mild illness featuring fever, joint pain, conjunctivitis or rashes, lasting for several days.
Next month, the DOH will partner with Mississippi State University and the University of Southern Mississippi to do a county by county survey assessing whether there are Aedes aegypti in significant numbers, Dobbs said.
But more likely than the possibility of mosquitoes bringing Zika to Mississippi, is the possibility of people bringing it to the state, Dobbs said. DOH has already recommended that pregnant women not travel to any Zika-affected countries until after they deliver, he said.
Other travelers to Brazil and other affected countries should do everything possible to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. People on mission trips are particularly vulnerable, he added, given that they tend to be in areas without air conditioning. He recommended using bug spray and said that men coming back from the countries not have unprotected sex with pregnant women for the entire duration of the woman’s pregnancy.
They also should not have unprotected sex at all for eight weeks after returning to the United States, Dobbs said, even if they’re not showing symptoms.
“We know that 80 percent of Zika cases either have no or minimal symptoms,” he said. “So it’s likely that they might not even know they had Zika but they might be contagious.”
Men showing symptoms should refrain from having unprotected sex for six months, he added.
And to avoid the possibility of spreading the virus to the local mosquito population, unlikely as that might be, people should avoid being bitten by mosquitoes for three weeks after returning to the U.S. from a Zika-affected country, Dobbs said.
“We don’t really think there’ll be any outbreak, but we’re being prepared for that possibility,” Dobbs said.
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