This is a sponsored post in partnership with The Motherhood on behalf of Texas Department of State Health Services. #BuzzOffZika
One of my favorite activities since Lila Sophia has started walking is hanging out in the front yard. She toddles around, exploring every little thing on the ground, and I spend most of my time chasing her and removing bits of leaves from her mouth, or preventing her from gaining too much momentum on her journey down the driveway. I’ve grown very familiar with the back of Lila’s head and regardless, I love playing outside with her. It’s refreshing, especially now that there are two homes worth of stuff crammed into my parents’ house. Sorry for the mess, mom!
Running around outside tends to lead to slightly skinned knees and mosquito bites. It seems like every single time we leave the house Lila returns with a bite on her leg. I remember when she was about 2 months old and that freaked me out so bad! Enough time has passed that I was starting to feel at ease. Zika came and went, right? Wrong.
Even though people aren’t talking about Zika anymore, it’s still around, especially now, during the peak of mosquito season…again. I have to admit I’ve slacked off when it comes to bug spray because of the cooler weather, but it’s gotten so bad so soon that I’m back to spraying Lila’s little arms and legs down before going out. I thought Harvey aftermath was bad, but there were about ten mosquitoes just hanging out on the back door two days ago! This year-round warm weather really hits us hard and with Spring Break and summer coming up, I’m going to need to become fully aware of these tips.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Centers for Disease Control, the threat of Zika transmission remains high, especially along the border, the Gulf Coast and in urban areas where the mosquito that carries the virus is commonly found.
The scariest part is there isn’t a treatment or vaccine yet! Which means prevention is key. I remember being so paranoid when I was pregnant. I know Zika can cause a really bad fever, but the birth defects had me the most anxious because I was dog-sitting pretty often at the time, which meant I was outside a lot.
For more information on transmission, visit texaszika.org/transmission.htm.
For additional resources and recommendations for those who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, visit texaszika.org/pregnantwomen.htm.
Once you’ve returned from vacationing, especially if it was to a Zika hot spot, keep using insect repellent for 21 days upon your return. This will prevent a mosquito from biting and spreading the virus to other if you were infected while away. I never thought of that. :-O
Prevention is the key. Along with insect repellent, we need to make sure to drain standing water regularly. And if not, then at least treat it. I just read mosquitoes that carry Zika actually prefer to live near people. All it takes is a tablespoon of standing water. I don’t have a dog dish outside, but now I know if I do, I need to empty/refill it daily! Watch the 30 second video below about keeping Zika off of your property. There are some places that collect standing water that I don’t even think about.
How do you keep your kiddos, or just yourself, mosquito-bite free? I need to get better!
xoxo
For additional tips and resources on Zika prevention, visit texaszika.org/prevention.htm.
And make sure to watch these super short and informative videos:
- What is Zika? Zika is a mosquito-borne virus.Watch this video to find out why you need to protect yourself and your family.
- Six tips for Zika Prevention The heat and humidity comes and goes in Texas. Watch these 6 steps to easy prevention.
- The Zika Virus and Pregnancy Zika can be passed from a mother to an unborn child, so it’s super important for the mother to protect herself. Watch to learn more about it.
- Keeping Zika Off Your Property It should make you shudder to see standing water. Watch where you can find the standing water and dump it out!
Thank you for doing a post on Zika!! I can’t stand seeing standing water!!… we were getting some backyard work done recently and I was counting the days that I saw standing water in our soon-to-be new fountain. I spoke up and asked when it would be installed because I was concerned about mosquitos!
I thought of you when I wrote this! haha
That cactus dress is too cute! And that little punk jean jacket. <3
I was walking around two nights ago and noticed lots of mosquitos, and suddenly made me think about zika again. Although Texas is at greater risk, I am a little paranoid about stow-away mosquitos coming in through NYC.
yes! plus we visit Miami pretty often. :-O