​“It’s taken awhile, but thank goodness the sun finally came out. With the amount of rain we had the past few weeks, even with the sun shining, it is going to take quite a while to dry up all of the water left behind,” said Ocean County Freeholder Deputy Director Gerry P. Little, Liaison to the Ocean County Board of Health. “Now is the time to get outside, look around, and get rid of any standing water,” Little added.

​Daniel Regenye, Ocean County Health (OCHD) Public Health Coordinator, said, “With concerns of Zika, we have the opportunity right now to be proactive and do something to protect ourselves and our property against mosquitoes. We are still steps ahead of Zika, which we really don’t know if it will or will not affect us. Public Health always hopes for the best, but will take as many steps as possible to prepare for the worst, such as if Zika could be transmitted here in New Jersey. Now is the time to clean up water from your property. Make sure you clear water out of your gutters and check all of your outside furniture for pockets of water. Check all of your screens for any holes and look to see if there are any gaps where your door closes that could allow mosquitoes to come inside the house.”

​Regenye added, “The Health Department is in constant touch with the New Jersey Department of Health and continues to participate in conference calls with the State and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Our website at www.ochd.org is linked directly with the CDC for updates on Zika and there is also updated information on how to protect yourself and your property from mosquitoes and updated information on mosquito repellents, which are certainly recommended for people being outside. We also need to remember that there are other mosquito-borne illnesses that are still in our environment such as West Nile Virus. We cannot stress enough to protect yourselves and your property from mosquitoes.”

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