May 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 61

come pregnant, but new evidence of
potential sexual transmission of Zika
means that there is a much wider pool
of those who may transmit the disease. Public health officials have previously used language such as " has been
associated with... " or " is linked to... "
but now are expected to be much
more direct about the potential threat.
All cases of Zika virus in the United States so far have been " travel "
cases, that is, they have come from
persons who have traveled to countries where the disease is endemic.
There have been no Zika cases that
have yet been reported from local
transmission in the United States.
John-Paul Mutebi, a research entomologist for CDC and a member
of the agency's Zika Action Team,
agrees with the description of A. aegypti as the " urban mosquito. " He
says this species is most often associated with cities because of its preference for warmer temperatures, darker

places and higher levels of moisture.
" Where humans go, this mosquito
follows, " he says. Mutebi also noted
that wherever A. aegypti is found, it is
expanding its range northward and
remaining there, depending on how
mild winters are. Range estimates are
now northward to New York City in
the east, Kansas City in the Midwest
and San Francisco in the west. Populations are generally estimated to be
higher along coastal areas because of
warmer temperatures.
Aedes aegypti is a highly successful
mosquito of the Cuclicidae family. It
breeds most often in artificial containers wherever standing water can accumulate. Eggs can remain dormant and
dry for more than 30 days, perhaps
much longer, and only need as much as
a bottle cap of water for them to hatch,
become larvae and pupate. Within 10
days to two weeks adults emerge, and
the female will seek a blood meal to
start the cycle again.

James Gathany U.S. Centers for Disease Control

The Aedes aegypti mosquito has a complex life cycle and undergoes a full metamorphosis. The
pupae here in a container of water will emerge in just a couple of days as adult mosquitoes.

A. aegypti feeds efficiently on humans. It generally bites the back of
legs or arms avoiding detection. It
lands lightly and bites gently compared to other mosquitoes. It bites
at any time during the day, not just
dawn or dusk, and it doesn't alert you
with a high pitched whine as some
other species do. If there was ever a
mosquito well-adapted to biting humans and getting away with it, it is
Aedes aegypti.
What Can Be Done?
President Obama has proposed major funding at the federal level to
address Zika and states and cities
are beginning to acknowledge the
potential threat. Dr. David Persse,
public health director and Incident
Command director for Zika in the
city of Houston, says, " We are definitely preparing. " He continues,
" This is the pre-season. We have
a plan and we know we will have

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