Monterey County agencies concerned about Zika virus

As the weather heats up, there’s concern about mosquitoes that could be carrying the Zika virus.

While the Monterey County Health Department is educating people about the symptoms, Vincent Sanchez with the Northern Salinas Valley Mosquito Abatement District is trying to control the population.

“We are very fortunate that we don’t have those particular mosquitoes (that carry Zika)…. at this time,” said Sanchez. But he added that, “It’s only a car or a truckload away.”

Only two types of mosquitoes can carry Zika and they’ve been found in 12 California counties. Still, Sanchez said mosquito populations can quickly thrive in the summertime, so crews are busy setting up traps across the county.

“We want to make sure that we can try to catch something very early on. We don’t want to see that mosquito here at all,” said Sanchez.

County health leaders are also worried about the spread and is working to educate the migrant population because the virus is most common in parts of Mexico and South America.

“If couples travel or one partner travels to an area while the women is pregnant, we do recommended that the couple abstain from having sex or use a condom during sex for the entire duration of their pregnancy,” said epidemiologist Kristy Michie. “We need to protect that baby.”

That’s important, experts said, because people generally don’t know they’ve been bitten and sometimes won’t show symptoms of Zika.

“The primary goal is public health because there are a number of different types of viruses and diseases. We are just trying to keep the mosquito population down,” said Sanchez.

To be safe, when outside this summer, health experts recommend using repellent with deet or wearing long-sleeve shirts and pants.