The Zika virus is here and as the summer months wear on, we are seeing more cases of it, making pest control services even more important. Just yesterday, in Florida, a non-travel case of the Zika virus was reported. Florida may seem a long way from Texas, and it is, but many Texans travel to Florida over the summer for vacation. While traveling this summer in Florida, people from Texas, New York and Taiwan have been infected with the Zika virus.
In addition, over 2,200 travelers have carried the Zika virus to America from other places. Here in North Texas, Dallas County has 28 reported cases and Harris County, which is the Houston area has 33 reported cases.
The bottom line is that with the summer, school starting back and sports picking back up, we are outside frequently. This increases the risk of mosquitoes infecting us.
We offer a variety of services that can help keep your home free of mosquitoes. We offer regular pest control services, mosquito treatments and a variety of products to help protect against mosquitoes, including the Mosquito Patch.
Contracting Zika
Mosquito bites are the primary way that Zika virus is transmitted. The virus can be spread from mother to child. Spread of the virus through blood transfusion and sexual contact have also been reported.
Even if you don’t know you’re infected, mosquitoes that bite you could transmit the virus to others. Mosquitoes may pick up certain viruses, such as Zika, from biting a human who has a Zika infection. The mosquito takes a blood meal from the human and takes in the virus in the human’s blood.Then, after about 7-10 days, the mosquito may pass the Zika virus to other humans when biting them. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting several days to a week.
Symptoms of Zika
Many people infected with Zika virus won’t have symptoms or will only have mild symptoms. The most common symptoms of Zika are
- Fever
- Rash
- Joint pain
- Conjunctivitis (red eyes)
Other symptoms include:
- Muscle pain
- Headache
Symptoms last for several days up to a week. Typically people don’t get sick enough to go the hospital and very rarely die from it.
If you are in need of pest control services, contact us today for a free evaluation of your home or business.
