Morris Officials Will Be Briefed Wednesday On Efforts To Combat The Zika Virus

MORRISTOWN, N.J. — County officials will get an update on local efforts to combat the Zika virus Wednesday.

Morris County Mosquito Control Director Kris McMorland and Morris County Health Officer Carlos Perez Jr. will provide county freeholders updates on the virus in New Jersey. They will discuss the potential risk for Zika transmission in New Jersey and what is being done to reduce the mosquito population in New Jersey.

There have been 54 travel-related cases of the Zika virus in New Jersey, including three is Morris County, information from the state Department of Health shows. The cases include a baby recently born to a 31-year-old woman from Honduras at Hackensack University Medical Center. The child was the third infant delivered in the United States with microcephaly linked to the Zika virus.

The CDC has confirmed that the virus is responsible for causing severe defects in unborn children, including microcephaly, which leaves babies with abnormally small heads and often with brains that do not develop properly.

The briefing will be at the county administration building at 10 Court St. in Morristown beginning at 9:30 a.m.

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