First Selectman Mike Tetreau and the Fairfield Health Department announced today that Fairfield’s Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members are helping the Fairfield Health Department distribute door hangers during the month of June with a message to eliminate mosquito breeding areas on their property and steps to take to avoid mosquito bites.
The volunteers attended a training session on June 2, 2016 with a presentation by former State of Connecticut Epidemiologist James Hadler MD which focused on emerging mosquito-borne illnesses and prevention measures. Volunteers will be going door to door placing door hangers on homes in neighborhoods they reside in.
Fairfield’s Health Department was able to secure grant funds from the State of Connecticut to produce copies of educational materials focusing on steps to prevent mosquito-borne illnesses, including the Zika virus. “While the Health Department has been working for several months on providing Zika and mosquito disease prevention education, this door to door effort is consistent with Connecticut’s Public Health Commissioner Dr. Raul Pino’s call to enlist and engage the community in an effort to eliminate standing water mosquito breeding areas,” said Fairfield First Selectman Mike Tetreau. According to First Selectman Tetreau, “All town departments that manage properties and facilities have already been asked to conduct a survey and eliminate any standing water. Now with the help of our MRC and CERT volunteers, we are providing residents with guidance on how to do the same on their properties."
The steps being taken here in Fairfield are focused on reducing the risk of local transmission occurring through the Aedes albopictus mosquito. While the Aedes aegypti mosquito is responsible for nearly all the transmission going on in South and Central America, the Aedes albopictus has been recently confirmed to be a potential carrier of Zika. Over the past several years, the Aedes albopictus mosquito has been found in State mosquito traps in Fairfield County along the coast.
There are currently 14 travel-associated cases of the Zika virus already in Connecticut, including three pregnant women and the first case of a child born in the U.S. with travel-associated Zika-related microcephaly that was reported this week in New Jersey. It is important that people, especially those who are pregnant or trying to conceive, fully understand their risks and take the appropriate steps to limit it. Links to both federal and state Zika related information can found on the Fairfield Health Department’s webpage.
For more information go to the Fairfield Health Department’s webpage at www.fairfieldct.org/health or call them at 203-256-3020.
First Selectman Mike Tetreau meets with Health Director Sands Cleary and Conservation Director Brian Carey to discuss the Town’s Mosquito Control Plan and Zika virus.
Some of the Zika virus educational material acquired through a State of Connecticut grant is now available at the Health Department and the Main and Fairfield Woods Branch Libraries.
Nearly 60 volunteers and Health Department staff attend training on Thursday, June 2nd, 2016.