"The more and more we learn, the more you get concerned about the scope of what this virus is doing"
- Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease at the NIH, via CNN To start with, Dr. Anne Schuchat, CDC principal deputy director, told reporters at a White House briefing that, long story short, Zika is worse, and scarier, than previously thought. Health officials throughout the US now are saying that Zika prevention is very much needed in the US right now and that we cannot wait until it's full-blown mosquito season for proper mosquito control. The chances of contracting this mosquito-borne virus in the US are currently increasing at an explosive rate.
Zika Virus Epidemic
More research on the Zika virus has been conducted in recent weeks as a result of this epidemic, and the research is proving the virus to be more dangerous than before. New information is being learned on the virus every day. The Zika-spreading mosquito (the Aedes aegypti) was recently found to have expanded its habitat from the southern US region, including (of course) Atlanta and Charleston, to the northern US, including states as far north as New York. The Zika virus is being closely studied for its effects on its hosts, including on pregnant versus non-pregnant hosts. The primary concern stemming from the Zika virus continues to be its causing of microcephaly, but experts have now linked the virus to a variety of neurological conditions in babies born to mothers who have contracted the virus at any time during their pregnancy. Similar in ways to dengue fever, the virus is found to infect neurological tissue.
Zika Vaccine Still in the Works
A vaccine is still in the works, but won't be actualized until the clinical trial goal date of September, though this vaccine may not be available to the public until months later. Health officials cannot say for certain just how widespread the disease will be in the United States by then. There are currently at least 346 cases of the virus in the continental US alone.
Fight Mosquitoes the Best Way
There's currently no vaccine for Zika virus, so the best way to prevent its spread is to prevent mosquitoes from even being on your property in the first place. Contact us at Tuxedo Mosquito Control for just the right mosquito spraying services you need. We provide prime mosquito spraying services in Atlanta, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina. Contact us today for more information on how to make sure you and your family remain Zika-free. As discussed in: http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/11/health/zika-virus-scarier-than-first-thought