Los Angeles public health officials have recently confirmed a second case of Zika virus in the county infecting a pregnant woman.
Similar to the other confirmed case of the mosquito transmitted Zika virus, the woman infected had traveled to an area of ongoing Zika transmission according to public health reports.
In the interest of being discreet the LA county health department is unable to provide any detail information on the individual cases of Zika.
Although Zika transmission has not occurred locally in Los Angeles the Aedes mosquito, among others that transmit ZIka, are unfortunately present in the San Gabriel Valley and in the eastern part of the county.
The first case of Zika in LA was from a teenage girl who was infected after coming home from a trip to El Salvador, however she has since recovered.
According to Ben Schwartz, MD, deputy director of the acute communicable diseases control program in Los Angeles; “If someone does become ill, we want them to stay inside, away from the Aedes mosquito to make sure they don’t cause a local infection to occur.”
Zika is often mild in adults but is suspected to cause microcephaly, which is a debilitating birth defect in which the brain and skull do not fully develop. Thus if you are pregnant or plan on becoming pregnant it is safest not to travel to South America and other places known for localized Zika transmission.
To protect against Zika virus at your own home make sure to eliminate all unnecessary pools of standing water and to contact a pest control professional when mosquito swarms are present on your property. If located in Los Angeles or Southern California contact the mosquito control experts at Innovative Pest Solutions!