Zika In Orlando Florida?
Much has been written about the Zika virus outbreak, and there has been much public speculation. We wanted to do a brief post for our blog readers in terms of factual points in this discussion. We’ll cover what you need to know about the Zika virus in Florida, and cite some additional resources for more online reading.
- According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Florida Department of Health has identified 2 areas of Miami-Dade where Zika has been spread by mosquitoes. These outbreaks have been in the Wynnwood section of Miami and in a section of Miami Beach. Please read the CDC advisory published for those in this area after July 14th. This advisory also applies to pregnant women and their partners and couples thinking about getting pregnant in these affected areas.
- The Weather Channel reports that weather in Florida should continue to be above average in terms of temperatures at least through November. Mosquito activity will stay robust as long as the temperatures stay above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. For Central Florida, this typically means that normal mosquito activity may continue into late November or early December.
- As far as travel goes, the Zika virus in Florida has been limited mostly to 2 square miles as mentioned in South Florida. According to the Visit Florida website, the Zika virus in Florida is mostly a threat to pregnant women and can generally be passed by a bit from a mosquito or through a sex partner infected with the virus.
- Since the state began keeping records of the virus in February, there have been at least 48 known cases in Orange County. This is the latest public count we are aware of from February to mid August 2016 according to the Orlando Sentinel.
- Finally, the most commonly accepted thing to do to protect yourself from the Zika virus is to wear insect repellant. The Environmental Protection Agency does produce a list registered insect repellants. For that list, please click here. We also like a recent WebMD blog post about using natural insect repellants and their potential use versus products containing DEET for instance. This is good reading before making a personal protection retail purchase.
Zika In Florida – Facts
We hope that some of this factual information will put things in perspective. While the virus is nothing to ignore, factually speaking the Zika virus in Florida has effected a relatively small number of persons. Moreover, to mitigate that very tiny amount of uncertainty, the best thing to do would be to follow some of the tips and safety measures mentioned in these online resources.
Should you have any more questions, contact our team at Orlando Vacation Homes 360 . Our customer service team is eager to provide assistance whenever possible.
