Town of Palm Beach News

Zika Alert in the Town of Palm Beach

Zika Alert in the Town of Palm Beach. With over a dozen cases reported locally, it seems that the infamous Zika virus has not only finally made its way to Florida, but is also spreading as tourists, as well as residents, travel from potentially infected areas to other towns and cities within the state.

The Zika virus is spread through mosquitoes and can not be transmitted from person to person as it is not airborne and can not be spread through contact with an infected person (although there has been cases where the virus was sexually transmitted between partners).

Symptoms associated with the virus include fever, headaches, muscle pain, and sometimes even bloodshot eyes. The Zika fever will usually last around a week and though there is no known cure, those infected can be treated on a symptomatic basis.

Though Zika will rarely pose a significant threat to adults living in the United States, the real concern is the birth defects linked to the virus, known as microcephaly. Microcephaly causes infants to be born with a small head and brain damage, and has already taken the life of little girl in Texas just this week.

Now that the virus has hit so close to home, residents of the Town of Palm Beach are looking for ways in which they can combat the spread of Zika.

In a recent town meeting, officials have declared that the best way to halt the spread of Zika is to prevent the mosquitos from breeding and to create a barrier between yourself and the infected mosquitos which are already out there.

Zika Alert in the Town of Palm Beach

Since these mosquitos are particularly attracted to artificial water holes, like a plastic container that has been filled with rain water, town officials recommend that residents cover any container which may be prone to collecting stagnant water.

As for the barrier between residents and mosquitos, officials ask Palm Beachers to use mosquito repellent before heading outdoors and covering infants with mosquito netting since bug spray should not be used on children less than 3 years of age. 

When asked about the potential future of the Zika virus in Palm Beach, Palm Beach County Environmental Program Supervisor Gary Goode stated:

 “we do have experience with other emerging tropical diseases, we had malaria in 2003…  a handful of cases, then it went away, we had dengue fever [a few cases then it went away]… our standard of living in the united states is pretty high [compared to the places where these diseases are originating from]… we’re being proactive and checking [infected/possibly infected] areas and treating it.”

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Evan S.

Evan S.

Carter is obsessed with breaking news and has written for several newspapers and blogs around the country.

1 Comment

  1. Marion Albergo
    August 11, 2016 at 7:14 pm — Reply

    About 17 years ago the town used to spray the streets, by mobile truck spraying. We must start that spray program again. Aside from the present threat of Zika we find that we can not even BBQ in our north end backyards.

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