SMYRNA – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) joined Delaware Division of Public Health Director Dr. Karyl Rattay and Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary David Small to announce $813,000 in federal funding to help Delaware’s efforts to prevent and respond to the Zika virus. Zika, a generally mild illness, has been linked to serious birth defects in Brazil and other countries and is most often spread by mosquitoes, including a species found in Delaware.

Much of the funding announced today came from an Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) grant for $1.7 million, a grant the state receives annually from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This year’s ELC’s grant of $543,000 is to be used for fighting Zika and West Nile Virus. The second grant, also from CDC and called the Public Health Emergency Preparedness grant, targets Zika specifically and provides $270,000 for such a campaign.

The grants will fund additional Zika education, outreach and advertising, data tracking, lab testing expenses, disease surveillance, planning, personnel, and preparedness. Funding will also be used to conduct Zika workshops and a table-top exercise, and help provide Zika kits for pregnant women, and their related needs. The ELC grant will help fund a new epidemiologist for DPH and a part-time physician to examine infants.

About $166,000 of the grant funding announced today will assist DNREC’s mosquito control and surveillance efforts, which are crucial in a fight against the Zika virus.

While this funding will go toward Zika and other mosquito-related research, funding for additional Zika research – including development of a vaccine – public education, outreach, and wider contraception availability is needed to stop this growing crisis.

“Today we had a chance to see firsthand the work Delaware is doing to prevent the spread of the Zika virus and the plans in place to respond to this kind of public health crisis,” said U.S. Sen. Tom Carper. “While this initial funding is much-needed, when Congress returns from recess in September, it’s absolutely critical that we pass emergency funding to help stem the tide of this burgeoning health crisis.”

“The Division of Public Health has worked on the Zika issue for months, and we are ready, we are prepared,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl T. Rattay. “Following guidance by the CDC, DPH has organized a Zika Action Team comprised of individuals with expertise in infectious disease, epidemiology, maternal and child health, lab testing, communications, mosquito control and emergency preparedness. The new funding will help DPH continue to implement the action team’s plan.”

DNREC’s share of grant funding “will greatly enhance our efforts to raise awareness among Delawareans about how they can reduce mosquito populations around their homes, boost our response capability to more effectively implement localized controls and improve our ability to monitor mosquito populations around the state,” said DNREC Secretary David Small. “We greatly appreciate the current and past efforts of Senator Carper and our congressional delegation to support programs to protect public health and the environment.”

Following the funding announcement, DNREC Mosquito Control Administrator Dr. Bill Meredith and Program Manager Tom Moran demonstrated actions homeowners can take to reduce backyard mosquito-producing habitat. The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), widely found throughout Delaware including on many residential properties, carries West Nile virus and can possibly transmit Zika, too. This species lays its eggs around the home where standing water can accumulate – clogged rain gutters, abandoned swimming pools and most importantly, any container that can hold water, such as flower pot liners, cans, scrap tires, wheelbarrows and uncovered trash cans. Due to this species’ habitats and behaviors, controlling the ATM solely with insecticides has been challenging. Reducing Asian tiger populations around the home by preventing or eliminating larval habitat is critical for reducing their bites and the possible transmission of mosquito-borne diseases.

Delaware Public Health and DNREC both provide fact sheets on the Zika Virus, as found here.

Travel and Transmission Advisories

• If you are pregnant, postpone travel to the countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. If your sexual partner has traveled to or lives in an area with active Zika virus transmission, barrier methods (condoms, dental dams) should be used for the duration of the pregnancy. Although no cases of woman-to-woman Zika transmission have been reported to date, these recommendations regarding the use of protection now extend to the female partners of pregnant women. Discuss your partner’s potential exposures and history of Zika-like illness with your doctor.
• If you are trying to become pregnant and have been diagnosed with Zika virus or have symptoms of Zika, wait at least eight weeks after symptoms first appeared before trying to conceive. Men who have been diagnosed with Zika virus or have symptoms are advised to wait at least six months after symptoms first appeared before having vaginal, oral, or anal unprotected sex.
• Men and women who do not have symptoms of Zika but had possible exposure through recent travel or sexual contact should wait at least eight weeks after possible exposure before trying to conceive in order to minimize risk.
• If your partner lives in an area with active Zika transmission but has not developed symptoms, use barrier methods for sex while there is active Zika virus transmission in the area. Sex includes vaginal, anal, and oral sex, and may also include the sharing of sex toys.
• If you are pregnant or may become pregnant and must travel to an area with Zika, talk to your doctor first and strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites during your trip. If you traveled to an area with active Zika virus transmission up to eight weeks before your pregnancy was confirmed, discuss your travel history with your doctor.

About one in five people infected with the virus develop the disease, and most people who are infected do not develop symptoms. The most common symptoms of Zika virus are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). Symptoms typically begin two to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.

To report a potential Zika illness or receive further guidance on patient testing, call the DPH Office of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at 302-744-4990. For copies of flyers and more educational tools, visit the DPH Zika page: dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/zika.html.

To reduce the risk of mosquito bites, use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered insect repellents; stay in places with air conditioning or that use window or door screens to keep mosquitoes outside; sleep under a mosquito bed net if you are outside and not able to protect yourself from mosquitoes; treat clothing and gear with permethrin available in pharmacies or purchase permethrin-treated items; and wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.

To learn more about how to reduce mosquitoes around your home, two videos with information about Zika virus and backyard water sanitation tips also are available on DNREC’s YouTube Channel: Zika Virus, Mosquitoes & You, and Mosquito Control & Your Backyard.

To report intolerable numbers of biting mosquitoes and request local relief, residents are encouraged to call Mosquito Control’s field offices:

• Glasgow Office, 302-836-2555, serving New Castle County and the northern half of Kent County, including Dover
• Milford Office, 302-422-1512, serving the southern half of Kent County south of Dover and all of Sussex County
• For more information about Delaware’s Mosquito Control program, call the field offices or the main Dover office at 302-739-9917, or visit de.gov/mosquito.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person’s spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit delawarerelay.com.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.

Media Contacts:

• Department of Health and Social Services
  Rita Landgraf, Secretary
  Jill Fredel, Director of Communications
  302-255-9047, Cell 302-357-7498
  Email: jill.fredel@delaware.gov
• Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
  Melanie Rapp, DNREC Public Affairs
  302-739-9902; cell: 302-233-1294
  Email: Melanie.Rapp@delaware.gov
• Senator Tom Carper
  Katie Wilson (Sen. Carper)
  302-598-4915
  Email: Katie_Wilson@carper.senate.gov

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife Mosquito Control Section is again asking for the public’s help in monitoring West Nile virus in Delaware by reporting the discovery of sick or dead wild birds that may have contracted the virus. West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne disease of concern to human health and to owners of unvaccinated horses.

Beginning today, the Mosquito Control Section requests that the public report sick or dead birds of the following species only: crows, blue jays, cardinals, robins, hawks or owls, plus clusters of five or more sick or dead wild birds of any species. Bird specimens should have been dead for less than 24 hours and not appear to have died or been killed by other obvious causes.

“We are interested in when and where West Nile virus might first appear in Delaware this year and in monitoring the timing and locations of its possible spread throughout the state,” said Dr. William Meredith, Delaware Mosquito Control administrator. “Our sampling strategy this year will be to collect and test a sample of wild birds found throughout the state from early June to late September.”

Birds collected by Mosquito Control are processed by the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Poultry & Animal Health Lab, and are then submitted to the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) Laboratory for virus testing. From early July through mid- to late October, Mosquito Control also will operate its statewide network of about 20 sentinel chicken stations placed in prime mosquito areas, which “keep watch” for WNV and eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), another mosquito-borne viral disease that affects horses and humans. The DPH lab tests blood samples from the sentinel chickens for both viruses to help indicate where WNV or EEE has been transmitted by mosquitoes from wild bird hosts to other animals, possibly leading to an increased risk of exposure for humans or horses.

“The prevalence of prime mosquito production habitats in Delaware, combined with our high human population density, presents quite a challenge, but our effective approach to controlling mosquitoes has helped reduce the frequency of West Nile virus transmission and prevent large outbreaks,” Dr. Meredith said.

In 2015, two mosquito-related human cases of WNV were reported in Delaware, neither of them fatal. No human cases of WNV were reported in 2014, although three cases occurred in 2013 with no fatalities. A resurgence in Delaware as well as the rest of the country occurred in 2012, when there were nine human cases and one fatality in the state. WNV is transmitted to humans primarily by the common house mosquito, and possibly by Asian tiger mosquitoes. The disease first appeared in Delaware in 2001, with a peak year in 2003, which saw 17 reported human cases and two human fatalities, as well as six WNV-stricken horses. From 2004 through 2011, WNV numbers were lower in Delaware. Only one human case of WNV was reported in 2011.

In 2015, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) nationwide figures show 2,060 reported human cases of West Nile virus resulting in 119 deaths, with the most cases occurring in descending order in California, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma and Illinois. Regionally, 52 WNV human cases were reported in New York during 2015 with one death, 45 cases occurred in Maryland with five deaths, 30 in Pennsylvania with one death, 25 in New Jersey with two deaths, 21 in Virginia with one death and four with no deaths in the District of Columbia.

Due to complicated environmental reasons, wild birds are considered better indicators of WNV early in the season from May through July than Mosquito Control’s sentinel chickens, which become better indicators later, from August through October. Weather conditions could also impact this year’s West Nile numbers, whether found in wild birds, sentinel chickens or mosquitoes themselves, as outbreaks can be more severe during abnormally hot years, with 2012 a good example. Within any given year, regardless of total numbers of cases, the period of greatest concern for disease transmission is in late summer and early fall, Dr. Meredith said.

Zika and chikungunya viruses are two other mosquito-borne diseases currently found in South and Central America and the Caribbean, and there is some concern about these viruses possibly occurring in local mosquito populations in southern and Mid-Atlantic areas of the U.S., including Delaware. Neither of these two viruses involves wild birds as hosts, but rather are transmitted by mosquitoes person-to-person, so monitoring wild bird populations or sentinel chickens would not be an effective means of detecting these viruses in local mosquitoes. For further information on preventing Zika visit: http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/zika.html

Dr. Meredith also noted that there is no cause for alarm that uncollected specimens might transmit WNV to humans, or to pets that come in contact with a sick or dead bird. Should the public encounter dead birds, they can be left to decompose in place or they can be buried or bagged and disposed of in the garbage. When disposing of any dead bird, he advises avoiding direct skin contact by wearing gloves and/or by using a shovel.

Sick or dead birds can be reported to the Mosquito Control Section between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, by calling Mosquito Control’s field offices:

• New Castle County and northern Kent County from Dover north, call Mosquito Control’s Glasgow office at 302-836-2555
• Remainder of southern Kent County and all of Sussex County, call Mosquito Control’s Milford office at 302-422-1512

Callers to Mosquito Control field offices after business hours or during weekends or holidays can leave voicemail. Callers should give their name, phone number, address and leave a brief message. However, the public should be aware that some calls left more than 24 hours before Mosquito Control can review them – typically involving times between Friday evening and Sunday morning when staff might not be present – may result in birds becoming too deteriorated for virus testing.

The phone numbers above may also be used to report intolerable numbers of biting mosquitoes to help the Mosquito Control Section determine when and where to provide control services. For more information on Delaware’s Mosquito Control program, please call the main office at 302-739-9917, or click Delaware Mosquito Control.

For more information about West Nile virus in humans, please contact the Delaware Division of Public Health at 302-744-1033 or 888-295-5156. For more information about West Nile virus in horses, eastern equine encephalitis or vaccines, please contact the State Veterinarian at the Delaware Department of Agriculture at 800-282-8685 (Delaware only) or 302-698-4500.

DNREC’s Mosquito Control Section provides statewide services to about 945,000 Delaware residents and 7.5 million visitors annually to maintain quality of life and protect public health by reducing the possibility of mosquito-borne illnesses such as West Nile virus, eastern equine encephalitis, chikungunya and Zika virus. Throughout the warmer months, Mosquito Control monitors and treats mosquito populations that emerge from wetland areas throughout the state, including ditches, stormwater ponds, wet woodlands and coastal salt marshes, using EPA-registered insecticides. These insecticides have been determined by EPA to pose no unreasonable risk to human health, wildlife or the environment when professionally applied. The Section also works year-round on water and marsh management projects designed to reduce mosquito populations, and provides the public with information on dealing with mosquitoes, from reducing backyard mosquito production to avoiding mosquito bites. For more information, call 302-739-9917 or visit http://de.gov/mosquito.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

Vol. 46, No. 214

DOVER – DNREC’s Mosquito Control Section and the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) share tips on mosquito-borne illness prevention and precautions in the new video, “Zika Virus, Mosquitoes & You,” on DNREC’s YouTube Channel.

DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay and Mosquito Control Section Biologist Thomas Moran talk about the Zika virus, including how it is spread – including by bites from carrier mosquitoes and from expectant mothers to their unborn babies – as well as prevention and monitoring efforts, and what Delawareans can do to reduce their chances of exposure to Zika and other mosquito-borne illnesses.

In the video, Dr. Rattay urges bite prevention as the best medicine. “First and foremost, use an EPA-certified insect repellent. Stay inside where it’s air-conditioned, or use screens in windows or doors. Wear long sleeves. Wear long pants,” she says. Dr. Rattay also goes into detail about protecting children from mosquito bites, how best to apply repellent to children and using mosquito netting, not repellent, on babies less than two months old.

Delawareans also are encouraged to be proactive in their own backyards to eliminate or reduce mosquito breeding habitat by eliminating standing water. “Anything in the backyard that holds water can breed the primary species of concern that could carry Zika, the Asian tiger mosquito … These mosquitoes can breed in extremely small habitats – we’re talking a bottle cap,” Moran says in the video. “If you can eliminate the containers to begin with, that’s the best option. If not, they need to be emptied regularly and kept from accumulating water.”

To request relief from intolerable numbers of biting mosquitoes and/or an inspection or treatment of potential mosquito-breeding areas, call Mosquito Control’s field offices:

• Glasgow Office, 302-836-2555, serving New Castle County and the northern half of Kent County, including Dover
• Milford Office, 302-422-1512, serving the southern half of Kent County south of Dover and all of Sussex County

For more information about Delaware’s Mosquito Control program, including more information about how to prevent or get rid of standing water that produces mosquitoes, call the field offices or the main Dover office at 302-739-9917, or visit http://de.gov/mosquito.

For more information about Zika and other mosquito-borne illnesses in humans, please contact the Delaware Division of Public Health at 302-744-1033 or 888-295-5156, or visit http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/zika.html.

Facts and information on Zika and mosquito control also are available at the following links:

• English: http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikafaq.pdf
• Spanish: http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikafaqsp.pdf
• Haitian Creole: http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikafaqhc.pdf

As of this date, DPH has confirmed three travel-related Zika cases in Delaware. All were the result of mosquito bites that occurred abroad, and none involved a pregnant woman. There are no confirmed cases of local transmission due to a mosquito bite in the continental U.S. at this time.

DNREC’s Mosquito Control Section in the Division of Fish & Wildlife provides statewide services to about 945,000 Delaware residents and 7.5 million visitors annually to maintain quality of life and protect public health by reducing the possibility of mosquito-borne illnesses such as West Nile virus, eastern equine encephalitis, chikungunya and Zika virus. Throughout the warmer months, Mosquito Control monitors and treats mosquito populations that emerge from wetland areas throughout the state, including ditches, stormwater ponds, wet woodlands and coastal salt marshes, using EPA-registered insecticides. These insecticides have been determined by EPA to pose no unreasonable risk to human health, wildlife or the environment when professionally applied. The Section also works year-round on water and marsh management projects designed to reduce mosquito populations, and provides the public with information on dealing with mosquitoes, from reducing backyard mosquito production to avoiding mosquito bites. For more information, call 302-739-9917 or visit http://de.gov/mosquito.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 162

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife Mosquito Control Section urges Delaware residents to “Fight the Bite!” by helping reduce local mosquito production on their residential, commercial or industrial properties through good water sanitation practices.

This effort involves regularly draining or changing unneeded sources of standing water that are stagnant for four or more consecutive days – or better yet, preventing water accumulation in the first place by upending, removing or storing indoors any outdoor containers that can hold water. “Mosquito Control & Your Backyard,” a new video on DNREC’s YouTube channel, includes more information on these good water sanitation practices.

Of the 57 mosquito species known to live in Delaware, 19 are problematic for people, either by biting or potentially transmitting mosquito-borne illnesses, or both. From early May through the first hard freeze in the fall, two of these species – the common house mosquito (Culex pipiens), a native species, and the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), an invasive species first found here in 1987 – are common where people live, work or recreate in urban and suburban settings. In addition to their annoying bites, these mosquitoes are of particular concern due to their potential to carry and transmit illnesses, with the house mosquito a known carrier of West Nile virus, and the Asian tiger mosquito a possible Delaware vector for West Nile, chikungunya and Zika viruses.

“At this time, we have no evidence in Delaware that local Asian tiger mosquitoes have served as vectors to transmit Zika or chikungunya viruses to people,” said Delaware Mosquito Control Administrator Dr. William Meredith, DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife. “However, science suggests that if local Asian tiger mosquitoes bite a returning traveler who has an active case of either of these viruses, those mosquitoes could become carriers and transmit Zika or chikungunya to those they bite next, with the potential to spread the viruses among humans and local mosquitoes.”

“The larvae of both the house mosquito and the Asian tiger mosquito can grow in a variety of containers holding water in our backyards, so the best way to control both of these species is by eliminating such standing water,” Dr. Meredith said. “Due to the hard-to-reach and often hidden aquatic habitats where they deposit eggs that hatch into larvae, as well as the behaviors of adult mosquitos, Asian tiger mosquitos pose a particular challenge to control through our chemical insecticides or biological measures alone.”

DNREC YouTube Channel Video: “Mosquito Control & Your Backyard”During mosquito season, property owners are urged to do their part by cleaning debris from clogged rain gutters and emptying water from corrugated downspout extenders; frequently changing water in birdbaths; draining unused swimming pools and kiddie wading pools; and by preventing or draining standing water from outdoor containers such as discarded tires, cans, buckets, flower pot liners, children’s toys, unprotected water cisterns, upright wheelbarrows, uncovered trash cans, upturned trash can lids, open or lidless dumpsters, plugged or undrained boats, sags in tarps covering boats or ATVs, or other water-holding containers.

In comparison to many other mosquito species, common house mosquitoes and Asian tiger mosquitoes have short flight ranges of only a few hundred yards from where they hatch, but even this short distance can be enough to infest a neighborhood. Common house mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn, but will also feed throughout the night. Asian tiger mosquitoes are aggressive daytime biters, but also feed at dusk and dawn.

“By practicing good water sanitation on their properties, residents will be helping themselves and their neighbors too – and the best results come from community-wide participation,” Dr. Meredith said, noting that means involving county or local municipal governments, homeowner or civic associations, property management groups or maintenance corporations as well as individual property owners in this common cause. “In the fight against house mosquitoes and Asian tiger mosquitoes, we’re all in this together – and every little bit helps.”

“Zika transmission continues to spread to new countries and the best way for people to protect themselves from Zika or any mosquito-borne illness is to prevent mosquito bites during travel abroad and during Delaware’s mosquito season. It is possible that local transmission could occur either from mosquito bites once the season starts, from sexual transmission or from mother to baby during pregnancy,” said Division of Public Health Medical Director Dr. Awele Maduka-Ezeh. “Taking precautions to stop mosquitoes from breeding around your home and preventing bites is the best protection.”

To report intolerable numbers of biting mosquitoes and request local relief, call Mosquito Control’s field offices:

• Glasgow Office, 302-836-2555, serving New Castle County and the northern half of Kent County, including Dover
• Milford Office, 302-422-1512, serving the southern half of Kent County south of Dover and all of Sussex County

For more information about Delaware’s Mosquito Control program, including more information about how to prevent or get rid of standing water that produces mosquitoes, call the field offices or the main Dover office at 302-739-9917, or visit de.gov/mosquito.

For more information about Zika and other mosquito-borne illnesses in humans, please contact the Delaware Division of Public Health at 302-744-1033 or 888-295-5156. Facts and information on Zika and mosquito control also are available at the following links:

• English: http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikafaq.pdf
• Spanish: http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikafaqsp.pdf
• Haitian Creole: http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikafaqhc.pdf

DNREC’s Mosquito Control Section provides statewide services to about 945,000 Delaware residents and 7.5 million visitors annually to maintain quality of life and protect public health by reducing the possibility of mosquito-borne illnesses such as West Nile virus, eastern equine encephalitis, chikungunya and Zika virus. Throughout the warmer months, Mosquito Control monitors and treats mosquito populations that emerge from wetland areas throughout the state, including ditches, stormwater ponds, wet woodlands and coastal salt marshes, using EPA-registered insecticides. These insecticides have been determined by EPA to pose no unreasonable risk to human health, wildlife or the environment when professionally applied. The Section also works year-round on water and marsh management projects designed to reduce mosquito populations, and provides the public with information on dealing with mosquitoes, from reducing backyard mosquito production to avoiding mosquito bites. For more information, call 302-739-9917 or visit de.gov/mosquito.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 122

Dover – The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) announced today the state’s second and third Zika cases, bringing the total number of Delaware cases to three. All three cases are travel-related and the result of a mosquito bite during visits to the countries where Zika is widespread. In the second case, an adult male was tested after showing symptoms of the disease from a January 2016 trip. In the third case, an adult female also showed symptoms of the disease following a late February-early March trip. Pregnancy is not an issue. Both cases were mild and risk of infection to others is extremely low.

Zika is primarily spread by mosquito bite, and is not spread through casual contact like hugging, kissing, shaking hands, sharing utensils, etc. It can also be transmitted from a pregnant mother to her baby during pregnancy. It is not yet known how often Zika is transmitted from mother to baby. In rare cases, it also may be transmitted sexually in semen. While Zika does not remain in the blood for longer than about a week, which means that transmission from person-to-person via mosquito bite must occur within a very tight timeframe, it is not known how long Zika remains in semen.

Zika is a very mild illness and the vast majority of people exposed to it do not develop symptoms. Symptoms typically begin two to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. The most common symptoms of Zika virus are fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes).

The most significant long-term health problems linked to Zika are serious birth defects. There have been reports of serious birth defects in infants whose mothers contracted the virus while pregnant. Microcephaly, a condition in which a baby’s head is smaller than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age, and other poor pregnancy outcomes in babies of mothers infected with Zika are now being linked to the virus.

Because there is neither a vaccine nor antiviral medications available to prevent Zika virus infection, DPH joins the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in sharing precautions for pregnant women or women who may get pregnant:

• If you are pregnant, postpone travel to the countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing.
• If you are pregnant and have traveled to the countries where Zika transmission is ongoing, talk to a healthcare provider about your travel even if you don’t feel sick. It is especially important that pregnant women see a doctor if they develop a fever, rash, joint pain, or red eyes during their trip or within two weeks after traveling to an area where Zika has been reported.
• If your male sexual partner has traveled to, or lives in, an area with active Zika virus transmission, a couple should use condoms the right way, every time, (Condom instructions for vaginal, anal, or oral (mouth-to-penis) sex. Discuss your male partner’s potential exposures and history of Zika-like illness with your doctor. If you are trying to become pregnant, talk to your doctor before you travel about your plans to become pregnant and the risk associated with Zika virus.
• If you are pregnant or may become pregnant and must travel to one of these areas, talk to your doctor first and strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites during your trip.
• If you are not pregnant, but your male partner lives in or has traveled to a country with Zika, consider using condoms.

“We are not surprised that there are additional Zika cases in Delaware given how often people travel and that the virus is now so widespread in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “With the upcoming spring break and a potential for even more travel to the countries where Zika is common, DPH reminds people to avoid being bitten and, if a woman is pregnant or trying to get pregnant, postpone travel if at all possible, and talk to your doctor if you plan to travel. It is also important to consider the risk of sexual transmission of the virus, and to use condoms if it is possible the male sexual partner has been exposed to the virus.”

Added DPH Medical Director Dr. Awele Maduka-Ezeh, “Zika transmission continues to spread to new countries and the best way for people to protect themselves from Zika or any mosquito-borne illness is to prevent mosquito bites during travel abroad and during Delaware’s mosquito season. It is possible that local transmission could occur either from mosquito bites once the season starts, from sexual transmission, or from mother to baby during pregnancy. Taking precautions is the best protection.”

Health care providers should ask all their patients about recent travel, and all pregnant women with a travel history should be evaluated for Zika. Because of the similar geographic distribution and clinical presentation of Zika, dengue, and chikungunya virus infection, patients with symptoms consistent with Zika virus should also be evaluated for dengue and chikungunya virus infection, in accordance with existing guidelines.

DPH and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) always work together during mosquito season but, with the spread of Zika in other countries, this year is an especially important time to take steps to protect you and your family from mosquito bites. Visit the DPH Website for a joint DPH and DNREC Frequently Asked Questions flyer on Zika and preventing mosquito bites. For additional information on DNREC’s mosquito control efforts, visit their Newsroom for the recent press release on the start of their annual spring woodland-pool spraying campaign.

The number of countries with travel warnings aimed at anyone planning to travel there continues to expand. Those who recently traveled, or plan to travel, to areas where Zika transmission is ongoing, including, but not limited to, Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, U.S. Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Panama, could be at risk for exposure.

For the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) list of countries, visit: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices.

The two new Delaware Zika cases were confirmed in the Delaware Public Health Lab (DPHL), which spent the last four weeks developing the capability to perform Zika tests locally. Previously, Delaware had to send samples to the CDC for Zika testing, which resulted in delays due to the volume of samples sent to the CDC from throughout the nation. To develop the ability to test locally, DPH needed to acquire the sample tests, train staff, develop protocols, and confirm with the CDC the testing protocols were accurate. If initial testing in DPHL is inconclusive, samples will be sent to CDC for further testing.

The first Delaware Zika case, an adult female, was announced in February and a result of a mosquito bite during travel. Pregnancy was not an issue. According to the CDC, there are almost 260 travel-related Zika cases in the U.S., six of which were contracted sexually.

To report a potential illness or receive further guidance on testing, call the DPH Office of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at 302-744-4990. For copies of flyers and more educational tools, see the below links.

For further information:
• CDC information on Zika: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/
• DPH Zika page: http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/zika.html
• Flyer for pregnant women in English: http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikaflyerforpregnantwomen.pdf
• Flyer for pregnant women in Spanish: http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikaflyerforpregnantwomensp.pdf
• DPH special bulletin on Zika: http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/dphbulletin1602zika.pdf
• Zika information in Spanish: http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/mediosdecomunicacion/comunicados/d_recomendaciones_viajeros_virus_del_zika_011516.html

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person’s spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit delawarerelay.com. Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.