AFC Urgent Care Danbury Gives Tips to Avoid Zika and West Nile Virus

As many head towards Brazil this week to either attend the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro or visit family, local Connecticut docs warn that mosquito-borne diseases are increasing both globally and right here at home, taking a bite out of summer fun and posing serious health threats.

Infected mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus have already entered the U.S this past week when 4 mosquitos tested positive for Zika in Miami, Fla., while closer to home, a mosquito has tested positive for West Nile Virus 2 weeks ago in Stamford. These are startling facts which tell us that Americans could get infected right here at home, and possibly this summer– according to the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who also states that as of now, vector control, (the control of the spread of mosquitoes), has not been effective, especially in Puerto Rico. where we are witnessing a widespread Zika outbreak.*

A newly released study in the journal Climatic Change shows another half a billion people could be at risk from diseases carried by insects including the Zika virus and West Nile virus.

The World Health Organization reports that Zika, with early outbreaks in South America and Southeast Asia, has, since spring of this year, been recorded in record numbers in Puerto Rico as well.

“With Zika spreading to the U.S., we are urging our patients to take precautions to protect themselves from bug bites,” says Joyce Moscowitz, MD, Medical Director at AFC Urgent Care Danbury “We want to make sure patients are protecting themselves on a daily basis from mosquitoes. Because there is no vaccine yet, our focus is on prevention, which includes practicing safe sex, keeping covered, removing any and all standing water and using a strong insect repellent. You can see more in depth info on our blog”.

We invite you to interview our docs at the local AFC urgent care centers either at 2 Main Street or 100 Mill Plain Road in Danbury, to explain the best way to protect families from bug-bite diseases. We also invite you to talk to families in our clinics about their fears of these illnesses as they prepare for summer travel.

For Zika Virus Fast Facts we urge you to read our blog Preventing Zika in Connecticut; What We Can Do ,

and for West Nile Virus Fast Facts: http://www.doctorsexpressdanbury.com/how-you-can-protect-against-west-nile-virus/

*Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases