In 2016, news of the Zika virus was everywhere–and for good reason. It is a virus that is directly linked to microcephaly. It struck Georgia hard and began to find a footing in Texas. As news of the local spread of the virus went out, folks in our Georgia service area were rightfully concerned. But, we have good news. We are not seeing a repeat of what happened in 2016. We can count the number of local cases on two hands, and all of those cases have been reported in Southern Georgia. So, what does that mean for us here in Macon?

At the end of 2016, the Director-General of the World Health Organization said, “…affected countries need to manage Zika not on an emergency footing, but in the same sustained way we respond to other established epidemic-prone pathogens.” That is where we are today. Zika is still a threat, but there is no need to stay on an emergency footing, especially here in Georgia.

There are three primary ways to stop the spread of mosquito-borne viruses: monitoring, warning, and control. Health agencies in the U.S. have monitoring stations set up in strategic locations to monitor for the appearance of dangerous viruses in sentinel chickens. When a virus is detected, a warning goes out, and mosquito reduction is used to stop the spread. In extreme cases, residents are asked to stay in their homes. But, mosquito reduction is not only for outbreaks. It is used throughout the mosquito season, every year, to reduce illness.

The reason mosquito reduction works is actually quite simple: dead mosquitoes don’t make babies. A single female mosquito can lay over 100 eggs every third night, and will typically live 2 months. That is a lot of mosquitoes.

Mosquito reduction destroys female mosquitoes in the places they hide from the midday sun and works to reduce mosquito breeding locations. Together, this has a big impact on mosquito populations, not just on the property that is being treated, but in the surrounding area as well. The more homeowners and business owners who take part, the lower the mosquito populations will be, and the greater chance that “buffer zones” will be created to arrest the spread of viruses.

So, while Zika virus is not hitting us hard this year, mosquito reduction is still important. It is a “sustained way” to keep epidemic-prone pathogens from spreading through Georgia. Reach out to Active Pest Control to get Mosquito Control for your Macon home or business today.