With many students traveling south for spring break this semester, Thomas Delaney, Ph.D., wellness center director, and Becky Seefeldt, Ph.D. of health services want to spread awareness about the Zika virus and what students can do to protect themselves.
According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), Zika is a disease that is spread through the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with the virus, and the disease’s most common symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The spread of the disease isn’t just limited to the bite of an infected mosquito, but it can also be transmitted sexually and it can spread from an infected pregnant mother to her child.
The virus is prevalent in the Caribbean and South America, and being that those are often hot spring break vacation spots, the wellness center staff wants to make sure that SBU students are aware of the existence of this disease and what they can do to prevent themselves from contracting the virus.
“We are just concerned about students traveling south for mid-semester break,” Delaney said. “They are going to need to be real careful of mosquitos. They need to use a CDC approved repellent of some kind.”
The unique biting pattern of these mosquitos requires students to apply their mosquito repellent during all hours of the day, according to Delaney.
“The thing about these mosquitos is that they actually bite during the day,” Delaney said. “People need to be real careful, even at the beach and going out. Cover legs and arms, use approved repellents, and whatever you do, keep them out of your bedroom at night.”
In order to keep the mosquitos from coming into rooms at night, Delaney recommends applying repellent to all beach equipment.
The disease caused by the Zika virus can also pose a very serious threat towards pregnant women, according to both Delaney and Seefeldt.
“It’s really an issue for pregnant women, whatever the trimester,” Delany said. “So even if someone is just growing into their pregnancy, getting the virus could cause significant harm to the fetus.”
The fact that the disease has the ability to be transferred through sexual contact puts even more emphasis for students to practice safe sex, according to Seefeldt.
The main purpose of the wellness center’s stress on the dangers of this disease is to provide students with a sense of awareness about the facts of the virus.
“People ought to be aware,” Delaney said. “That’s what we want to make people right now. So it’s a question of awareness.”
For questions about the Zika Virus, contact health services at (716)-375-2310.
mackreec15@bonaventure.edu
