Ads on radio and TV will target Zika virus

The state and counties are ramping up efforts to prevent the mosquito-borne Zika virus from taking hold in Hawaii in spite of a congressional impasse over $1.1 billion in emergency funding to combat the virus, which can cause devastating birth defects, including microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads.

To underscore how seriously the state and counties are treating the threat of the virus, Gov. David Ige held a news conference Thursday that included top health, education and tourism officials, and mayors from all of the counties, to mark the launch of a revamped media campaign to prevent mosquito bites.

“We know that it is impossible to eliminate mosquitoes here in Hawaii, but there are many things that we can do to be proactive to reduce the risk of mosquitoes and, more importantly, to really be proactive and ahead of the game so that none of these terrible diseases are established here in Hawaii,” Ige told reporters.

Beginning this month, the state plans to air public service announcements, on local radio and television stations statewide, about how to avoid mosquito bites as part of a $250,000 “Fight the Bite” campaign funded by the state. Placards will be plastered on city buses and at all of the main airports and hung in malls and shopping centers.

The public education campaign focuses on ways to reduce the presence of mosquitoes, such as dumping out containers of standing water, fixing leaky pipes, cleaning out gutters, disposing of old tires and ensuring that there are screens in windows. Residents are also urged to use mosquito repellent and cover up if they go on hikes or are in outdoor areas where there are a lot of mosquitoes.

Hawaii officials emphasized that their level of preparation likely surpasses that of other states given that they have just finished battling a dengue fever outbreak on Hawaii island. The illness is transmitted by mosquitoes.

Some 264 cases of dengue fever were reported between October and spring. Health officials believe the source of the outbreak was an infected traveler.

The state Department of Health, in coordination with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and county emergency management and civil defense agencies, developed a draft response plan for mos- quito-borne illnesses as a result of the dengue fever outbreak. The plan, which has yet to be publicly released, is expected to form the basis for response and prevention efforts for Zika, dengue and another mosquito-borne illness, called chikungunya.

The Health Department is also working to restore its Vector Control Branch, which was gutted following budget cuts in 2010. The Legislature allocated $1.27 million this year to help hire 20 staff.

Hawaii is one of six states that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is focusing much of its Zika control efforts on as scientists warn that locally acquired cases of the virus are likely to start showing up in the U.S. as the summer mosquito season gets underway. The other states include California, Texas, Florida, Arizona and Louisiana.

The Zika virus has spread rapidly throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Brazil has been hardest hit, with the World Health Organization estimating that 2,500 babies will suffer from microcephaly as a result of the current outbreak. There are also active cases of Zika transmission in Pacific island countries, including Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and the Marshall Islands, according to the CDC.

For U.S. and Hawaii officials, a primary concern is that someone who acquired the Zika virus outside of the country will be bitten by a mosquito after returning home, setting off a local outbreak of the virus.

There have been 934 cases of Zika virus in the United States — all of which are believed to have been acquired during travel outside of the country, according to the CDC. There are no known cases of someone acquiring the disease from a mosquito bite in the U.S.

In the past six months, there have been five “imported cases” of Zika in Hawaii, according to Virginia Pressler, director of the state Health Department.

“Hawaii is always going to be at risk for mosquito- borne diseases, not only because we have mosquitoes year-round, but also because we have so many travelers coming to and from Hawaii with imported cases of mosquito-borne illnesses on a regular basis,” she said.

While Hawaii moves ahead on efforts to prevent a local outbreak of the Zika virus, Congress is still fighting over a $1.1 billion federal spending bill aimed at combating the virus. Senate Democrats blocked the measure this week, arguing that Republicans had inserted unacceptable provisions into the bill, such as cuts to Planned Parenthood services.

“The funding issue is a big question, and of course we are all waiting for Congress to make a decision on the president’s request,” said Pressler while adding that the state is moving forward regardless.

“We didn’t wait for the federal dollars,” she said.