Ascel Bio - Disease Forecaster Says TODAY's Climate Conditions Now Ripe for Zika Mosquito in Parts of USA
Number of High Risk Cities Expected to Increase
NEW YORK, July 5, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Live forecasts issued today by Ascel Bio show an elevated risk of Zika transmission in Key West, the southeastern shore of Louisiana, Atlantic City, Brookhaven Mississippi, and multiple sites in Hawaii. Ascel Bio produces the only Zika risk NowCast for the entire USA.
Climate conditions at many sites in HI, FL, LA, NJ, and MS now promote the breeding of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the most important vector for Zika virus. Concerted efforts to reduce the risks from the Aedes aegypti mosquito are recommended for residents and health officials in these areas.
Ascel's bio-meteorologists say mosquitos that carry the disease (including the Aedes aegypti mosquito) breed when weather conditions are right. There is currently no ongoing transmission of Zika in the continental United States. So far, Americans have been infected by traveling outside of the US to Brazil and other countries.
Patrick Wedlock, Ascel Bio's senior forecasting officer states:
Each day we update our forecasts to show where the risks of Aedes aegypti mosquito growth are in the United States. The CDC has issued a warning that there are a number of high risk cities in America for these mosquitos. Ascel Bio's Zika NowCasts are unique: giving live updates in real-time on the locations where risk is increasing.
In order for Aedes aegypti mosquitos to actually transmit the disease, they must bite someone who has the disease, and as such, a person harboring the Zika virus must be present and bitten in one of these locations in order for local, mosquito-borne transmission to occur. To date, there have been no such locally transmitted cases of Zika virus in the mainland United States.
Hundreds of health conditions have well-established links to the environment. Ascel Bio provides disease forecasts, outbreak alerts and other insights to users concerned with these conditions, bridging gaps between climate knowledge and healthcare. Ascel Bio's Zika NowCasts present opportunities for action and improved global health. Ascel Bio continues to work together with the healthcare community to combat Zika and other seasonal infectious disease outbreaks.
For more information, please visit www.ascelbio.com
Contact: Patrick Wedlock ǀ Senior Forecasting Officer
914-834-8215 ǀ [email protected]
SOURCE Ascel Bio
Related Links
WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?
Newsrooms &
Influencers
Digital Media
Outlets
Journalists
Opted In
Share this article