ZIKA VIRUS - THE EMERGING THREAT

In recent months, perhaps the biggest health scare making headlines across the world is the Zika Virus. The doubts have only been cleared recently, after the virus outbreak that started in 2013 and culminating in Zika reaching pandemic levels late last year. This is why Baltimore Mosquito Control is so important!

WHAT IS THE ZIKA VIRUS?

The fever that comes with a Zika virus infection isn't such a big problem—it's milder than dengue fever and can be treated simply by resting. However, it does become a threat because the virus is transmitted from pregnant mothers to the fetus in their wombs.

The virus is transmitted by the same kind of carrier of the dreaded dengue virus—the Aedes mosquito, particularly A. aegypti as well as A. albopictus. These mosquitoes are prevalent in tropical countries and already notorious as vector for transmission of dengue, which is why the added Zika virus makes it all the more threatening.

WHAT DOES IT DO?

It's not so much how the virus affects the infected at the moment, but rather what happens in the aftermath that makes it really bad. This mosquito-borne virus has been affecting pregnant mothers across continents, resulting in a defect in newborns called microcephaly, as well as other brain anomalies.

At the moment, the extent of the kind of anomalies caused by the Zika virus is not completely known. In addition, there is also nothing conclusive yet as to whether what kind of other risk factors lead to certain outcomes. For example, it has not yet been established whether or not a mother's stage of pregnancy affects the development of brain anomalies in the fetus.

In adults, apart from causing Zika fever, the virus can cause Guillain-Barré syndrome, an immune dysfunction in which there is rapid-onset weakness of the muscles due to the body's own immune system attacking peripheral nerves mistakenly.

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES

The main course of action when it comes to preventing the Zika virus from infecting you or the people in your home is to make sure the space is not full of mosquitoes. Here are some of the main measures for mosquito prevention:

Removal of standing water from gutters, tires, buckets, drums, flower pots, and other containers around the house to make sure there are no breeding grounds for mosquitoes within your area
Got a swimming pool? Keep it clean and well-maintained. If you notice any abandoned pools in the neighborhood, you can file a report at the nearest health department office
If you fear that mosquitoes could still get inside the house, you can install screens on doors and windows for an second layer of security
Have an appropriate insect repellent handy. There are numerous natural mosquito repellents you can get for your home, or you could opt for commercial options

The Zika virus is indeed fearsome and is a great threat to humanity. As such, it is important that we all recognize the threat it poses and do our due diligence by reading up on the facts and knowing how we can prevent it from affecting us and our loved ones.

HOW TO SAFEGUARD YOUR FAMILY

Summer is here, and the mosquitoes are biting. The kids are full of itchy red bites, and can’t stop scratching. You need an exterminator that knows everything about Baltimore MD pest control, and who can rid your home and property of the flying insects that are making it difficult to go outdoors in the early morning or evening

AN INTEGRATED MOSQUITO MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Your first thought is to get the property sprayed with a suitable pesticide, but you’ve read that this method rarely provides full protection. The rodent control experts say that one needs to attack any pest in a combination of ways, with mosquitoes it’s something they call an integrated mosquito management, or IMM, program.

YOU CALL YOUR LOCAL PEST CONTROL EXPERT FOR ADVICE

Your pest control expert suggests using a combination of chemical and non-chemical techniques, but advises that the old saying “prevention is better than cure” is absolutely true, and that this is the first and most important step to take.

FIND THE BREEDING SOURCE AND ERADICATE IT

The winged nuisances that make your life miserable with their burning, itchy sting, haven’t always been flying around! In fact they start off life as water borne larvae, which live and feed under water until they are ready to hatch as flying mosquitoes. These larvae have hatched from the eggs deposited by the female mosquitoes in any standing water that may be conveniently lying around your yard. Amazingly an upturned soda bottle top can provide enough water for this purpose. Without suitable water for them to breed in, you’d have no mosquitoes to worry about!

WHAT DO THE MOSQUITO LARVAE FEED ON?

The larvae are free swimming and about 8mm long, moving around in the water with a wiggling motion and coming up regularly to the surface to breathe. They tend to rest at the surface unless they are disturbed, whereupon they dive down deeper into the water. They spend most of their time resting, and feeding at the surface on suitable microscopic single celled creatures and vegetable material, such as algae floating in the water. At the same time they develop through four growth stages, until they finally pupate and after a few days, emerge as adult flying mosquitoes.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE THEM TO EMERGE AS ADULTS?

The whole process from egg to a flying, stinging gnat, can take as little as five days if atmospheric conditions are right, but the process usually takes around a month. During all that time they are literally sitting under your nose, unable to fly and able to be easily exterminated if only you can discover them!

ARE THE ZIKA VIRUS CARRYING MOSQUITOES AROUND?

So far, none have been discovered breeding in the United States, but it is very important to be vigilant and keep your home and yard as mosquito free as possible. We will follow up with more articles on how to achieve this.

WHAT TO DO FIRST

For more advice on how we can help you control pests such as mosquitoes, call us or simply fill out the form on the home page of our site, and we will provide you with a professional and well tested solution for all your home pest control issues. Don’t hesitate, set up an appointment with us today, and let us take care of it.

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