ACOG will partner with Oklahoma City-County Health Department (OCCHD) to post their briefings about the ZIKA vius. Items are pertinent at the municipality level. They are designed to help local officials answer questions that arise relating to activities associated with Zika, and related to mosquito abatement.

Here is a summary of the information available at this time.

For the Central Oklahoma area there is not a significant risk of Zika virus other than possible local transmission either through infected travelers who actively have the virus that are bitten by mosquitoes or possible infection through sexual contact.

Health officials and the medical community continue to inquire about travel history in individuals exhibiting similar symptoms. OCCHD will address any media requests that come to Oklahoma County municipalities.

Testing methodology is in place for individuals suspected of having the virus.

We will begin our normal mosquito trapping /testing and surveillance when mosquitoes begin to appear in the spring with an emphasis on identification of Aedes species mosquitoes.

The Zika virus is carried by the mosquito species Aaedes aegypti. This species of mosquito does not typically occur here. There is no confirmation that the virus is carried in Aaedes albopictus mosquitoes which do occur here but we are not ruling out the possibility of this species at some time being identified as a potential carrier.

Aedes mosquitoes are the black mosquitoes that bite during the daytime. Culex mosquitoes which carry West Nile virus are brown in color and are more likely to bite between dusk and dawn.

Our normal integrated pest management approach will not change when it comes to habitat remediation, larvacide application, and recommendations for use of insect repellant and clothing that will prevent insects from biting.(4D fact sheet) available on our website. We will attach the applicable fact sheets to this message.

OCCHD will be actively messaging applicable information through press releases and updates like this as well as information provided through our website.

Contact For Municipalities

Any municipalities interested in participating in our mosquito trapping program can contact Cynthia Baker at 425-4371 or Cynthia_Baker@occhd .org

CDC Information About Zika

The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention has a lot of great information on their website about Zika. Click here to review it now.