Fairfield-Easton Medical Reserve Corps Going Door-To-Door About Zika Virus

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- As spring turns into summer, mosquitoes will become more prevalent and with this comes an increasing risk of mosquito-borne diseases.

The Fairfield/Easton Medical Corps will be going door-to-door to warn residents about the hazards of mosquitoes and ways to prevent them.
Photo Credit: *Tina Traster*

K Reakes

05/31/2016 3:15 p.m.

During the month of June, members from the Fairfield-Easton Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), Fairfield’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Health Department staff will be going door to door in Fairfield raising awareness on how to prevent mosquito-borne diseases, like Zika.

Throughout the door to door campaign, MRC members will provide residents information on two simple steps that can be taken to prevent mosquito-borne diseases:

Step 1: Start eliminating breeding areas on your property to prevent adult mosquitoes from laying eggs near your home. Continue checking for standing water throughout the summer till the first frost. Any item or area that has standing water for 7 days after a rain event can be a mosquito breeding area.
Step 2: Don’t go outside when mosquitoes are active (between dusk and dawn) but if you do, use mosquito repellent and wear protective clothing such as hats, long sleeve shirt and pants. Keep mosquitoes outside by ensuring all screens are in good repair.

In addition, MRC, CERT and Health Department members will provide all households visited with an informational door hanger as a reminder for mosquito prevention.

As the number of travel associated and sexually transmitted Zika cases continues to increase, it is important that residents are made aware of the ways they can protect themselves and their loved ones. Anyone who is traveling outside the continental United States should be aware of countries currently being affected by the virus. For an up to date list of countries please visit http://www.cdc.gov/zika.

The Town of Fairfield is asking all residents for their help in preventing mosquito-borne diseases. It is important to eliminate standing water on property but also to report any standing water on private property, such as abandoned pools to the Fairfield Health Department at 203-256- 3020.

Taking these steps now can greatly reduce the presence of mosquitoes and the diseases they can cause.

For questions, contact the Fairfield Health Department at 203-256- 3020.

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