“The Ocean County Health Department (OCHD) has been participating in conference calls with the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), regarding Zika Virus. Zika virus disease is a mosquito-borne disease which has been found to affect infants born to mothers who traveled to or resided in an area with Zika virus transmission during pregnancy.

Zika virus is spread to people through mosquito bites. The most common symptoms of Zika virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week. Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon.” said Daniel Regenye, OCHD Public Health Coordinator. “At the present time, there have been confirmed travel-related cases including 11 states, including New Jersey and Washington DC.

​Regenye continued, “Because there is neither a vaccine nor medications available to prevent Zika virus infection, CDC recommends that all pregnant women consider postponing travel to areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. If a pregnant woman travels to an area with Zika virus transmission, she should be advised to strictly follow steps to avoid mosquito bites. Presently, there are twenty-four countries or territories reporting current ongoing transmission; including Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde (Africa), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Samoa, Suriname, U.S. Virgin Islands and Venezuela. Mosquitoes that spread Zika virus bite both indoors and outdoors, mostly during the daytime; therefore, it is important to ensure protection from mosquitoes throughout the entire day. Mosquito prevention strategies include wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants, using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)–registered insect repellents, using permethrin-treated clothing and gear, and staying and sleeping in screened-in or air-conditioned rooms. When used as directed on the product label, insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, and IR3535 are safe for pregnant women.

Further guidelines for using insect repellents are available online at (http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/avoid-bug-bites) and you can also find these on the Ocean County Health Department website at www.ochd.org.

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