Take Precautions to Mitigate Your Zika Health Risk
The mosquito carrying the Zika virus is expected to spread throughout the United States this summer. Below are a few precautions you can take to reduce your zika health risk.
The mosquito carrying the Zika virus is expected to spread throughout the United States this summer, causing U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell to warn citizens, the Zika health risk has a “significant potential to affect national security or the health of Americans.”
Texas reported the first known US case of Zika in early February. New York has reported nearly 50 cases. In February Governor Rick Scott declared a Zika health risk emergency in four Florida counties after cases of Zika were detected in the state. Connecticut has reported one case. Health officials believe most of these cases are from people who contracted the disease while traveling to affected countries outside the US.
U.S. health officials have linked the Zika virus to severe birth abnormalities, including microcephaly. The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus linking Zika to Guillain-Barré syndrome, which causes temporary paralysis in adults.
When in areas with Zika and other diseases spread by mosquitoes, take the following steps to mitigate Zika health risk:
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
- Empty standing water on job sites.
- Stay in places with air conditioning and window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside.
- Sleep under a mosquito bed net if you are overseas or outside and are not able to protect yourself from mosquito bites.
- Travelers returning from an area with Zika transmission should protect against mosquito bites for three weeks to prevent passing Zika to mosquitoes that could spread the virus inside the US.
- Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents with one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or para-menthane-diol.
When there is risk ahead, you can count on KMRD Partners Risk and Insurance Solutions for a common sense approach to risk management and transference through insurance coverage. KMRD Partners structured risk management process provides clients a competitive advantage, reducing their cost of risk while improving their operational efficiency.
Contact us below to have a KMRD risk professional assess your Zika health risk profile, identify all key exposures inside your business, and deliver a risk management approach that works for your business.
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