The New Mexico Department of Health and New Mexico State University (NMSU) announced today thatAedes aegypti, a species of mosquito that can transmit Zika virus, has been identified in Sierra County. This is the first time this mosquito species has been identified in this county.
Mosquito surveillance in many of New Mexico’s counties is part of a New Mexico State University project funded by the New Mexico Department of Health to map out the range and distribution of both Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in the state. Both mosquito species are capable of transmitting Zika virus to people. The project is ongoing. Twenty-four counties across the state are being sampled.
“This collaboration with NMSU gives us a clearer picture of the areas at risk of Zika transmission in the state,” said Lynn Gallagher, Health Secretary designate. “As a result, the New Mexico Department of Health is better able to educate and inform residents about Zika based on where they live.”
Zika virus is transmitted to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito (Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus). These mosquitoes typically lay eggs in and near standing water in containers like buckets, bowls, animal dishes, flower pots and vases. They prefer to bite people, and live indoors and outdoors near people. They are aggressive daytime biters, but they can also bite at night. The mosquitoes become infected when they feed on a person already infected with the virus. Infected mosquitoes can then spread the virus to other people through bites.
“Both Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes live in close proximity to people and their homes, so it is very important to remove any standing water around the home where the mosquitoes could lay their eggs,” said Paul Ettestad, the health department’s public health veterinarian. “The Aedes aegypti mosquito has been the main driver of the Zika virus outbreak to date. There have been no cases of Zika virus disease identified in Sierra County.”
So far this year, New Mexico has had six reported cases of Zika virus disease. Of those, all six were in travelers who were infected abroad and diagnosed after they returned home. The two most recent cases were women, one residing in Bernalillo County, the other in Santa Fe County.
To date, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have been trapped and identified this summer in Doña Ana, Eddy, Chaves and Sierra counties and Aedes albopictus in Roosevelt County. Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes have also been reported from Otero County and Aedes albopictus from Curry County in past years.
To avoid Zika and other viruses like West Nile Virus, which are spread by mosquitos, take the following steps:
- Look around your home and remove any standing water that may be found in flower pots, bird baths, old tires, bottle caps or other small containers, and then scrub out the containers to remove any mosquito eggs. The small squiggly creatures you may see in the standing water are mosquito larvae that will turn into adult mosquitoes in a few days.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
- Stay in places with air conditioning or that use window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside.
- Sleep under a mosquito bed net if you are overseas or outside and are not able to protect yourself from mosquito bites.
- Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents. When used as directed, EPA-registered insect repellents are proven safe and effective, even for children and pregnant or breast-feeding women.
For more information about Zika virus, visit https://nmhealth.org/about/erd/ideb/zdp/zika/ andhttp://www.cdc.gov/zika/pregnancy/index.html.