County officials taking precautions for Zika virus

(Chambersburg) — At least one expert said it’s possible some Franklin Countians could contract the Zika virus this summer – with elderly and those with weakened immune systems most at risk.

The Zika virus is a flavivirus, similar to the West Nile virus. However, there is no vaccine for Zika and no medication to treat it. It is a virus that is primarily transmitted between mosquitoes and birds, however, humans and horses can be what are known as incidental hosts, and can be infected when the female mosquitoes bite their victims. Female mosquitoes are the only ones that bite, as they need the blood to help with growing and sustaining the eggs until aying them, usually in a watery area.

Donna Scherer, Penn State Extension educator, told county commissioners Tuesday that 80 percent of the population are healthy enough that their immune systems can defeat the virus. The other 20 percent most at danger for infection are the elderly, children up to 10 years old and those with weakened or compromised immune systems.

Symptoms include fever, joint pain, rash, and conjunctivitis. Those symptoms may not show up for a week.

After Scherer’s presentation Tuesday, Franklin County Commissioners David S. Keller, Robert L. Thomas and Robert G. Ziobrowski indicated the county is ready for the possibility of Zika.

“We’re taking an appropriate level of precaution,” Keller said.

Zika is a human-to-human spread disease through sexual contact, which makes it dangerous for fetuses or breast-feeding infants. However, Scherer said that there is “no definitive study” that conclusively proves 100 percent that the Zika virus causes birth defects.

There are two types of mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus; the Aedes aegypti, and Aedes albopictus. The Aedes aegypti’s coverage area reaches into Pennsylvania, but it doesn’t enter into Franklin County. The Aedes albopictus’s coverage area includes the entire state of Pennsylvania. Scherer said more studies are being completed to determine if any other mosquito species can carry Zika.

What people can do to reduce the likelihood of being bitten by disease-carrying mosquitoes starts in their own backyards.

Mosquitoes need water to lay eggs and survive, so homeowners and farmers will want to survey their landscape and property to review the areas that are most likely to be problematic. They include tires, tarps, birdbaths, ponds, pools/hot tubs, wheelbarrows, mud puddles, storm drains, and over-watered lawns. All these items are places that can collect water to the point where mosquitoes have enough resources to lay eggs.

Removing these items, cleaning them, or relocating them to a place where they are less likely to retain water will assist with reduction of the mosquito population.

If residents are going to be out in nature or in a place on their property where the likelihood of a mosquito haven is higher, there are some preventive measures people can take to reduce the chances of being bitten. Wearing long-sleeved clothing, close-toed shoes and a hat will help, but there is one more step people can take. Spraying repellents, including one called Permethrin, will assist greatly with repelling mosquitoes and other unwanted insects. Permethrin is an ingredient in lice shampoo and flea dips for pets.

Penn State Extension is also helping with eliminating the mosquito population. Franklin County receives a grant from the Department of Environmental Protection worth $59,300, to be used on pesticides and other equipment to help with the mosquito issue. The county subcontracts the task to Penn State Extension.

Equipment includes dips or special concoctions that render larvae helpless, and special traps for adult mosquitoes.

David Barr, 717-262-4752

This article is part of a content-sharing partnership between Public Opinion Online and WITF. 

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