{"id":133563,"date":"2016-02-02T21:28:24","date_gmt":"2016-02-02T11:28:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=133563"},"modified":"2020-10-23T15:01:30","modified_gmt":"2020-10-23T05:01:30","slug":"qld-mozzies-capable-of-spreading-zika","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2016\/02\/02\/qld-mozzies-capable-of-spreading-zika\/","title":{"rendered":"Qld Mozzies Capable Of Spreading Zika"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Aedes aegypti … the dengue fever mozzie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

February 2, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

A mosquito which has been found in the South Burnett is capable of transmitting the Zika virus but experts say there is no need for Australians to panic.<\/p>\n

Only two cases of the virus have been detected so far in Australia this year, both in travellers returning to Sydney from overseas.<\/p>\n

Six people across Australia tested positive in 2015, 12 in 2014 and just one in 2013 and 2012.<\/p>\n

All of these were also travellers who had returned from infected areas, so there is no evidence Aussie mozzies are spreading the disease.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n

Where Does
\nAedes Egyptii
\nLike To Breed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Queensland Health, Aedes aegypti <\/em>does not live or breed in swamps, creeks, rivers, bushland or mangroves; it only lives where there are people.<\/p>\n

The mosquitoes thrive in man-made areas because they prefer to lay their eggs in containers found in domestic environments.<\/p>\n

The female mosquito needs to feed on humans to produce eggs. They only need a small amount of pooled water to lay their eggs, which they glue to the side of containers. The eggs hatch into “wrigglers” or larvae, which then take about 7-10 days to become adult mosquitoes.<\/p>\n

And the mosquitoes don\u2019t like to fly far. They usually only fly between 50-200m, depending on the availability of food (human blood) and containers to lay their eggs in.<\/p>\n

Once the mosquitoes are established in a backyard they won\u2019t leave until their breeding sites are removed.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Zika is not contagious via casual contact but cases of sexual transmission have been reported in the United States.<\/p>\n

It is usually harmless to people who get infected; 80 per cent of cases have few, if any, symptoms.<\/p>\n

However,\u00a0a possible risk to pregnant women has been identified.<\/p>\n

Experts suspect Zika is responsible for a cluster of cases of microcephaly (underdeveloped brains) in new-born babies in Latin America and French Polynesia, both places where the virus is common.<\/p>\n

The World Health Organisation is taking no chances, declaring Zika a global public health emergency on Monday.<\/p>\n

And the Federal Government’s Smart Traveller<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0website\u00a0has warned pregnant women, or those planning to conceive, to reconsider plans to visit affected countries.<\/p>\n

Sydney University medical entomologist Dr Cameron Webb told Fairfax newspapers on Tuesday that if Zika did arrive in Australia, the mosquito Aedes aegypti<\/em> would play the most important role in transmission of the illness.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A. aegypti\u00a0 <\/em>is the main transmitter of Zika in other countries. In Queensland,\u00a0 it has been blamed for the spread of dengue fever, Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus.<\/p>\n

For Zika to enter the Australian mosquito population, it would require an A. aegypti <\/em> mosquito to feed on an infected person.<\/p>\n

Health Minister Cameron Dick told reporters on Monday that monitoring was under way in the Torres Strait to ensure that if Zika arrived it would be\u00a0 detected early.<\/p>\n

However, A. aegypti\u00a0 <\/em>has caused concerns in the past much further south in Queensland.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In August 2010, A. aegypti<\/em> was detected in 10 locations around Goomeri which prompted a quick response from Queensland Health and Gympie Regional Council to treat potential breeding sites.<\/p>\n

And in 2013, a routine survey conducted by Queensland Health and the South Burnett Regional Council detected A. aegypti<\/em> in Wondai and Murgon.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ways to reduce mosquitoes around your home:
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Inspect your house and yard and remove any pools and containers of water;<\/li>\n
  • Empty pot plant bases weekly or fill the base with sand to absorb water;<\/li>\n
  • Wash out bromeliads and other water-holding plants weekly;<\/li>\n
  • Clean out roof gutters regularly and trim back trees which can block gutters;<\/li>\n
  • Ensure rainwater tanks are screened;<\/li>\n
  • Maintain swimming pools;<\/li>\n
  • Wash out birdbaths and ornamental pools weekly; and<\/li>\n
  • Ensure ponds are stocked with suitable native fish.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    What you can do to protect yourself:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Screen all windows and doors to prevent mosquitoes coming inside;<\/li>\n
    • While outside wear long sleeved, loose-fitting clothing;<\/li>\n
    • Use insect repellent;<\/li>\n
    • If you live in an unscreened house or are camping, sleep under a mosquito net;<\/li>\n
    • Air-conditioning, fans and mosquito coils are also effective in protecting you from mosquitoes;<\/li>\n
    • Drains or depressions: Maintain drains to allow for water flow and fill in any depressions to prevent water ponding;<\/li>\n
    • Swimming pools: Keep chlorinated and regularly operate the pool pump.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      A mosquito which has been found in the South Burnett is capable of transmitting the Zika virus but experts say there is no need for Australians to panic <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":20537,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[172,3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nQld Mozzies Capable Of Spreading Zika - southburnett.com.au<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2016\/02\/02\/qld-mozzies-capable-of-spreading-zika\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Qld Mozzies Capable Of Spreading Zika - southburnett.com.au\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A mosquito which has been found in the South Burnett is capable of transmitting the Zika virus but experts say there is no need for Australians to panic\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2016\/02\/02\/qld-mozzies-capable-of-spreading-zika\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"southburnett.com.au\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-02-02T11:28:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-10-23T05:01:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/aedes_aegypti.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"350\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"235\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Anne Miller\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Anne Miller\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2016\/02\/02\/qld-mozzies-capable-of-spreading-zika\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2016\/02\/02\/qld-mozzies-capable-of-spreading-zika\/\",\"name\":\"Qld Mozzies Capable Of Spreading Zika - 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