Environmental Factors and Virus

New York and the Zika Virus Description and Controlling Efforts The communicable disease researched within this document is the Zika virus. This is a virus which is primarily transmitted to humans from mosquitoes. The mosquito which is known to carry this virus is the Aedes Eegypti mosquito which is natively found in South America and Central America (New York State, 2016). An initial Zika outbreak in the U.S. took place in the summer of 2016.

The state of New York is attempting to prevent the virus from spreading to it with a proactive plan involving several measures. Environmental Factors There are myriad environmental factors related to this disease. The most salient is the presence of standing water, which naturally attracts mosquitoes. It is necessary to protect all water which is not running from the presence of mosquitoes which could potentially transmit the Zika virus. The other environmental factors pertain to human transmission of this virus.

People can transmit it to one another through sexual intercourse (CDC, 2016), in all of its variety. Additionally, people can transmit this virus through traveling to places in which mosquitoes carrying the virus reside. By getting bitten by such a mosquito, they can unwittingly transmit the virus via sex. Identify the environmental factors related to this disease. Lifestyles, Socioeconomic Status and Disease Management Lifestyles, socioeconomic status and disease management certainly factor into this communicable disease in New York.

Lifestyles correlates to the people who have the wealth to travel to foreign countries inhabited by Zika carrying mosquitoes, or even those who can travel to southern parts of the U.S. in which the virus has been reported. Socioeconomic status pertains to the poor who might be either too ignorant or too penurious to afford protection measures for safe sex. Disease management factors into the proactive method the state is taking to prevent the virus from spreading.

Gaps The state of New York's plan to prevent Zika is fairly comprehensive. The only gap is in assessing whether or not travelers are returning to the state with the virus. Therefore, until the threat of this virus passes, the state should implement some sort of mandatory testing for travelers returning to the state from areas known to have Zika infections. This can be done at the airport as travelers deplane in a manner similar to the increased security measures they are subject to prior to boarding a flight.

The Department of Homeland Security and the state of New York can provide the resources for such testing. Recommendations The chief recommendation is to heighten traveler awareness of the Zika virus while at airports. This can be achieved via signage and public announcements about the threat of Zika in some of the most common places. This way, travelers who are going to these areas can know to avoid mosquitoes, standing water, and the other environmental factors pertaining to this threat.

Public Health Department Within New York, the public health department is doing a considerable amount to reduce the threat of the Zika.