New York’s Zika Plan – What You Need to Know

New York officials are gearing up should the Zika Virus make its way to our area. The virus, which has been declared a global public health emergency, hit stateside a few weeks ago and over 200 cases have already been reported.

The New York Zika plan includes trapping and testing mosquitoes in the area to see if they have the virus. According to the Huffington Post, “Specifically, researchers will monitor the Aedes group of mosquitoes, which are the major carriers of the virus in Central and South America, where the virus is currently spreading.”

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said, researchers plan to trap about 60,000 mosquitos per month.

In addition to testing mosquitos, New York will also hand out “Zika protection kits” to pregnant women. The kits are free and include, “insect repellent, condoms (to prevent the sexual transmission of the virus) and larvicide tablets (that can kill mosquito larvae) to treat standing water.” 20,000 kits will be distributed to health care providers in the region.

“The state is taking aggressive action to reduce the risk of Zika transmission in New York. We have put in place a first-in-the-nation action plan that will work to eliminate Zika at its source, reduce potential transmissions and safeguard expectant mothers against this dangerous disease,” said Gov. Cuomo.

While New York only has a moderate risk of of local spread, officials are prepared with a six-step plan:

• Eliminating mosquito breeding sites by distributing 100,000 larvicide tablets throughout the region;
• Deploying mosquito traps in 1,000 locations per month;
• Distributing Zika protection kits to pregnant women;
• Deploying a “rapid response team” if Zika transmission by a mosquito is confirmed, which will inspect surrounding areas and develop an action plan;
• Requiring all local health departments to submit an action plan for Zika, if Zika is found mosquitoes in the area; and
• Launching a public awareness campaign, which includes a Zika information hotline.