Zika virus has become a rapidly expanding epidemic in Latin America. And now reports said the epidemic could leave the United States expose to the potential outbreaks as more U.S. residents return from the region with infections.
Since Zika virus can be easily transmitted from an infected person to a local mosquito and then to another person, experts warned that the viral traffic could spark Zika outbreaks across America, particularly in areas where the mosquito species that carry the virus had already multiplied, National Geographic noted.
The Zika virus-carrying mosquitoes, however, are no stranger in U.S. territories. As a matter of fact, they had already made their presence known in the fall of 2012, when mosquito biologist Andy Lima received a call from an old college friend for help.
While Lima expected to find Asian tiger mosquitoes called Aedes albopictus, which is a common mosquito species in the Washington area, he was surprised to discover that the mosquitoes didn't have the characteristic albopictus white stripe down the bug's back.
What Lima actually discovered was the stripes of the mosquitoes were in a violin shape, an indication that the species were of Aedes aegypti. Aegypti mosquitoes are responsible for spreading diseases such as yellow fever, dengue fever and chikungunya, as well as spreading the Zika virus, CNN reported.
A pest control entomologist believed that the presence of Aedes aegypti was just a fluke. However, Lima found that there were more aegypti bugs and larvae in several more locations including a fountain, a birdbath and a trash can, which were all located just a block away from his friend's apartment in Capitol Hill.
After a year, Lima returned to the area and discovered more aegypti. The same discoveries were also found in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
While these species often breed in tropical climates, Lima and David Severson, a professor in mosquito genetics and genomics at the University of Notre Dame, discovered that the bugs had managed to survive the winter and breeding in underground areas like subway stations.
Last year, Lima and Severson published their findings in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Meanwhile, Washington Department of Health spokesperson Marcus Williams said measures are being done, including testing for the Zika virus in mosquitoes.
Despite the fact that the Obama Administration has asked the Congress to authorize a $1.8 billion emergency fund to respond to Zika, experts are still wary about the mosquito control in the country.
In fact, America's unorganized mosquito control could leave the nation vulnerable to a rapidly expanding Zika outbreak, noting that time is already running out to reorganize mosquito control into a coordinated system when Zika arrives.
Zika virus has been associated with the neurological birth defect microcephaly and with Guillain-Barre syndrome. For tips on how to protect yourselves from Zika virus, click here.
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