Zika fight: A battle against the Aedes in Morris County

LOOK OUT FOR THE ASIAN TIGER: Aedes Albopictus mosquito may transmit the Zika virus. Photo by James Gatheny/ CDC
LOOK OUT FOR THE ASIAN TIGER: Aedes Albopictus mosquito may transmit the Zika virus. Photo by James Gatheny/ CDC
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LOOK OUT FOR THE ASIAN TIGER: Aedes Albopictus mosquito may transmit the Zika virus. Photo by James Gatheny/ CDC
LOOK OUT FOR THE ASIAN TIGER: Aedes Albopictus mosquito may transmit the Zika virus. Photo by James Gatheny/ CDC

 

By Peggy Carroll

Pesky, irritating, annoying.

They are all adjectives applied to mosquitoes.

This year, there is another adjective: Dangerous.

Mosquitoes transmit the Zika virus.
Mosquitoes transmit the Zika virus.

They are blamed with spreading the Zika virus, a relatively mild fever in most people, but a cause of serious birth defects for infants infected in the womb.

And it is turning up in New Jersey, and in Morris County.

County health and mosquito control officials say that there have been 54 confirmed cases in the state, including three in Morris County (all in the western part of the county), and all have been travel-related – brought home by people who have visited countries in South and Central America and the Caribbean.

The presence of the decease in Brazil has caused some athletes to withdraw from the summer Olympics.

But the officials caution that there is always some possibility that the virus can make its way here.

And they offered some advice on how to join the battle against mosquitoes – and the disease.

Kristian McMorland, director of the Division of Mosquito Control, has been fighting the insects for 20 years. Although none of the species of mosquito that is the primary carrier of the Zika virus has come further north than the Carolinas, “you cannot be too careful,” the director said.

He urged residents to take steps to reduce the mosquito population – and prevent mosquito bites.

GETTING THE VIRUS

Zika spreads mostly through infected mosquitoes, said Carlos Perez, the county health officer. But there is new evidence that it can be spread through sexual transmission– from man to woman and most recently, from woman to man.

The incubation period, the time between infection and the start of symptoms, is about one- to two weeks. For a fetus of an infected woman, the incubation period is not known.

Avoid these if you can--they can transmit West Nile virus. Photo: Mosquito.org
Avoid these, too, if you can–they can transmit West Nile virus. Photo: Mosquito.org

Only a small number of infected people – about 20 percent – develop any symptoms. For those who do, they tend to be mild: A headache, followed by a rash (pink spots and bumps), weakness and muscle- and joint aches, and a short period of low-grade fever.

A blood or urine test can confirm infection. There is no specific treatment. And while research is underway, Perez said, there is no vaccine against it.

But with or without symptoms, the virus can cause serious harm to infants infected in the womb of mothers who have contracted the disease at any point in pregnancy. They may have severe birth defects, including microcephaly – abnormally small heads – a sign of incomplete brain development

A baby girl with the condition was born last week in Hackensack to a mother who had been in Honduras.

Doctors also have found other problems in pregnancies and among fetuses and infants infected with the Zika virus before birth.

Health officials advise pregnant women not to travel to areas known to have Zika or to have sex with a partner who lives in or has traveled to an area with Zika, or to use condoms at all times during pregnancy.

Returning travelers who have been infected with Zika can spread the virus the same way they got it – through mosquito bites. Or they can transfer it to a sexual partner.

If a partner has had the disease, or traveled to a country where it is found, the CDC recommends either abstaining from sex, or only having protected sex for eight weeks.

A POSSIBLE VILLAIN

The mosquito that transmits the Zika virus — and also dengue fever, chikungunya and yellow fever — is called the Aedes aegypti, McMorland said. There are no established populations of this kind in New Jersey, but scientists say that another species could be a local vector.

McMorland said there is just one potential Zika-carrying mosquito in Morris County, Aedes albopictus or the Asian Tiger mosquito. Earlier this year, the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization reported that Mexico had identified the Asian Tiger carrying Zika.

It is a species common in northern New Jersey, particularly in the eastern part of Morris County, McMorland said. And it likes backyard-type habitats.

“The Asian Tiger is so striking if you see it, you’re going to know it, ” he said. It is small black insect, about a quarter of an inch long, with white stripes on its legs.

But without the Aedes Aegypti itself arriving, he said, the possible spread of the virus would require a “perfect storm.”

WHAT THE COUNTY IS DOING

McMorland said the county is working closely with the state Department of Environmental Protection, which in turn is offering increaseD resources to mosquito commissions throughout the state.

It is also doing its usual fight against mosquitoes, through surveillance of mosquito hot spots and spraying and using other recommenced products to reduce breeding sites.
Part of the battle against the biters is a natural enemy: Fish.

So far, McMorland said, the county has stocked 17,650 mosquito-eating fathead minnows in eight locations. These include old mine pits, small ponds and even an abandoned swimming pool – all potential mosquito breeding sites.

It is also expecting to add another 10,000 fish from the DEP’s Hayford Fish Hatchery in Warren County to use this year.

“The nicest part about fish is that once you stock them, you really don’t have to worry about that pot anymore, “ McMorland explained. “The fish will generally take care of the mosquito population.”
WHAT YOU CAN DO

The first step is to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds on your property.

Residents can take the lead, McMorland said, by dealing with likely habitats in their backyards.

Remember, McMorland said, that mosquitoes breed only in water. They lay their eggs on the water surface or where later flooding permits the emergence of larvae. These grow quickly to pupae which in turn grow wings, legs and beaks needed by the adult.

The adult returns to the water to lay eggs – and the new crop emerges.

In order to breed, mosquitoes must have water for at least seven days. And standing water becomes a breeding place.

So to fight against them, McMorland said, check your yard and eliminate standing water. This means looking at clogged gutters and rain barrels, boats and birdbaths, cans, bottles and plastic bags, flower pots and vases, unused swimming and wading pools, wheelbarrows and tubs, old tires and fountains. Anything, in short, that can hold water.

Check, too, cellars and crawl spaces and drain the water in ornamental pools and fountains once a week

PROTECT YOURSELF

The best way to prevent Zika is to prevent mosquito bites. So the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  recommends these steps:

  • Use an EP- registered insect repellent. It is promised to work.
  • Wear long sleeved shirts and pants – or if the temperatures are too high for that, stay in places with air conditioning or window and door screens.
  • Stay cool, stay bite-free.

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