Could Zika Virus Spread Throughout Fairfax County? Officials Answer...

RESTON, VA -- Fairfax County officials fielded questions from county residents about the Zika virus outbreak during an online chat today, assuring people that they have nothing to fear -- but, of course, you can always take precautions.

Asked whether Fairfax County or its cities have a map of the distribution of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus -- the species implicated in the spread of Zika -- Environmental Health Specialist Andrew Lima said there are no county-level maps, but Aedes aegypti, the main species blamed for the spread of Zika, has only rarely been detected in Fairfax County.

"It is rare, since the species is unable to survive our cold winters," Lima said. "Aedes albopictus, the Asian Tiger mosquito, is common and widespread throughout Fairfax County and the state of Virginia, and although this species could potentially spread Zika, it has not yet been proven to do so in the current outbreak."

So far, the Zika outbreak has been confined to a small geographical region in southern Florida as far as the U.S. is concerned, but it is widespread in South and Central America, which is where most cases of Zika that end up in the U.S. originate. Zika causes mild symptoms for most people, but it can result in birth defects for pregnant women who get it.

"Currently, no transmission of Zika by mosquitoes has been detected in Virginia," Lima said. "All cases of Zika that have been identified in Fairfax County and in Virginia so far have been associated with travel to a Zika-affected area."

If you are worried about Zika anyway in Fairfax County, just follow the advice of health officials: wear long-sleeved clothing, use lots of bug spray, sleep under a mosquito net if you're outdoors and get rid of stagnant water near your house.

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