Mayor Landrieu
Allocates $500K in Additional Funding
for Zika Virus Prevention
Local Officials Discuss
Preparedness Activities in the Event of a Zika Occurrence and Urge Residents to Take Precautions
to Protect themselves and their Homes
NEW
ORLEANS –
Today, Mayor Mitch Landrieu joined local officials to remind residents of the
precautions they should take to protect themselves and their homes from
mosquitos, as well as provide an update on the City of New Orleans’ outreach
activities and overall preparedness in the event of a Zika virus occurrence. At
this time, there are no locally transmitted cases of the Zika virus in New
Orleans or Louisiana; however, travel-related cases of Zika virus have been
identified in New Orleans and elsewhere in Louisiana.
The
New Orleans Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board (Mosquito Control Board)
maintains a robust mosquito surveillance program, and today, the city announced
plans to allocate an additional $500,000 to more aggressively target the two
mosquito species that are the primary carriers of Zika virus, the Yellow fever
mosquito and the Asian Tiger mosquito. The Mosquito Control Board has an annual
budget of $3.5 million, which supports the department’s overall functions of
monitoring and controlling populations of mosquitoes, termites, and rodents in
order to reduce rodent and insect-borne diseases.
“The
Zika virus is an extremely serious public health threat,” said Mayor
Mitch Landrieu. “We are doing everything that we can to be ready through
intensive mosquito control efforts and comprehensive educational outreach, but
we must have state and federal resources to sustain the aggressive response
appropriate for this very serious health threat. I’m also calling on the public
to do their part to protect themselves and their loved ones by removing
mosquito breeding sources from their properties. This has to be a unified effort
from all parties involved.”
Click here to download a factsheet on
the Zika virus
The
Mosquito Control Board uses an integrated mosquito management approach which
includes mosquito population surveillance, public education, source reduction,
eliminating mosquito breeding sites, biological control and pesticides when
appropriate. Spray trucks and airplane spraying are also used when needed.
Mosquitos
breed in standing water. Residents are strongly encouraged to assist in
reducing mosquito populations around their homes and businesses by removing
trash and clutter; disposing of discarded tires and containers that can hold
water; turning over wading pools, buckets, trash cans, children's toys or
anything that could collect water.
Mayor
Landrieu has also urged Congress to appropriate money to be used for local
preparedness and vector control. In May, he testified before the U.S. House of
Representatives Democratic Steering and Policy Committee in support of the
Obama Administration’s request of $1.9 billion in federal emergency
supplemental appropriations funding to respond the threat of the Zika virus. Click here for his testimony.
In
April 2016, the City of New Orleans released a comprehensive
plan to address the Zika Virus threat. The plan guides coordination among
various departments and identifies preparedness and response initiatives to be
taken in the city. Currently, the Mosquito Control Board and the New Orleans
Health Department are coordinating with key partners to provide information
about the Zika virus to the public and conduct door-to-door outreach in
high-risk neighborhoods across the city. Partner agencies include the Louisiana
Department of Health (LDH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine and
the Louisiana Mosquito Control Association.
About
Zika Virus
Zika
virus is transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito or
through sexual contact with an infected person. One in five people infected may
develop symptoms, which include fever, rash, joint pain, muscle pain, headache
and red eyes. Symptoms usually begin 2 to 14 days after being bitten by an
infected mosquito. The illness can cause mild symptoms lasting up to a week.
At
this time, there is no vaccine to prevent Zika virus infection, nor any
specific medicine to treat it.
If
diagnosed with Zika virus, you are urged to protect yourself from mosquito
bites. If a mosquito bites you, it can spread the virus and infect others. If
infection is suspected, travel history should be shared with the healthcare
provider. Additionally because Zika Virus can be transmitted through sexual
contact, infected individuals should use condoms.
The
CDC recommends treating the symptoms by resting, drinking fluids and taking
certain types of pain medicine. Click here for more information.
Zika
virus can be spread from a mother to its fetus during pregnancy. There have
been reports of serious birth defects in the brain called microcephaly in
babies of mothers who had the virus while pregnant. Microcephaly is a birth
defect that causes a baby’s head to be smaller as compared to other babies that
are the same sex and age. Babies with microcephaly often have smaller brains
that might not have developed properly. There is no treatment to correct
microcephaly.
CDC
Travel Alert
In
January 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a
travel alert for people traveling to regions where Zika virus transmission is
ongoing.
Click here for a list of affected
countries
Pregnant
women in any trimester should consider postponing travel to the areas where
Zika virus transmission is ongoing. If you must travel to one of the areas,
talk to your doctor first and strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites
during the trip. It is safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women to use insect
repellent.
SAFETY
TIPS
Protecting
Yourself
- Reduce
mosquito exposure by limiting outdoor activities between dusk and dawn.
- Use
air-conditioning and make sure window and door screens are in good repair to
prevent mosquitoes from getting inside.
- If
outside for long periods of time, wear long-sleeved shirts and pants.
- The
CDC recommends using repellents containing EPA-registered active ingredients
including DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon-eucalyptus.
- When
using repellent, always follow the recommendations on the product label.
Protecting
Your Home and Business
- Eliminate
standing water around your home, where mosquitoes breed.
- Remove
trash and clutter, dispose of discarded tires and containers that can hold
water. Turn over wading pools, buckets, trash cans, children's toys or anything
that could collect water.
- Change
water weekly in containers that cannot be removed, such as pet dishes or bird
baths. Scrub the side of the containers each week to remove the eggs that have
been deposited.
- Rain
barrels and other water collection devices must be screened and collected water
should be used within one week.
- Aerate
ornamental pools, fountains and sugar kettles or stock them with fish.
- Report
illegal dumping, water leaks and unattended swimming pools and by calling 311.
-
Call
311 or email mosquitocontrol@nola.gov to report
mosquito problems.
Tires
are easily filled with water by rain and collect leaf litter, providing an
ideal breeding site for mosquito larvae. Eliminating scrap tire dumps will
eliminate a prolific mosquito habitat.
- Residents
can place up to four tires weekly, stacked curbside along with their household
trash.
- Tires
in front of abandoned lots will not be collected; they must be moved in front
of a residence with curbside collection.
- Residents
can also bring up to four tires to the City’s Recycling Drop-off Center on the
second Saturday of each month, which is located at 2829 Elysian Fields Avenue
between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Click here for more information on
Household Item Recycling
###
|
