Best views, weather, etc. How to test them 👓 SC, Ala. sites look back Betty Ford honored
NEWS
Zika virus

Flooding might increase mosquitoes and Zika risk in Louisiana

Ryan W. Miller
USA TODAY
An Aedes aegypti mosquito, known to carry the Zika virus, is photographed through a microscope at the Fiocruz institute in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil.

The massive flooding across southeastern Louisiana over the weekend could bring an increased risk for the Zika virus after the waters recede, an expert in tropical medicine said Sunday.

Strong floodwaters often wash away mosquito eggs, which would be good news.

But mosquito eggs already laid in containers, such as empty buckets or tires, could be protected from surging water and then be stimulated to hatch after the flooding recedes, said Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

“We could be seeing an increase number of Aedes aegypti now in the coming weeks,” he said about the mosquito species that carries the Zika virus. "This is crunch time."

Three dead, 7,000 rescued from Louisiana flooding

Ben Beard of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agreed that the coming weeks will be important for monitoring the number of mosquitoes, but he does not expect an increase in the ones that carry the Zika virus, although he admits there is uncertainty.

"I wouldn’t say right off that there’s reason to believe that (the flooding) would have significant impact," said Beard, deputy incident manager for the Zika outbreak program.

He said there could be an increase in other types of mosquitoes, but he pointed out that the Zika-carrying species is smaller and more easily washed away by floodwaters.

Beard added that if the CDC and local monitoring authorities do begin to see increased numbers, it would trigger a massive response to prevent the spread of Zika.

No local cases of Zika have been reported in Louisiana, but Hotez said there could possibly be cases that have gone unreported. Florida is the only state where Zika was contracted locally, and not from travel outside the country.

Flooding could increase the risk for other mosquito-borne illnesses, such as West Nile Virus, Hotez said.

Mustapha Debboun, director of mosquito control at Texas' Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services, told USA TODAY in April that flooding can "create plenty of breeding habitats for mosquitoes, which will increase in larger populations as the temperature and humidity rises."

Follow Ryan Miller on Twitter @MILLERdfillmore

Featured Weekly Ad