There has been lots of talk as of late surrounding this Zika Virus. With millions of dollars going into research and rumors of outbreaks occurring around the U.S, you have more than likely heard about the Zika virus.

So what is it, why should you care and what can be done to prevent an outbreak?

The Zika virus is from the Zika forest of Uganda, and the most recent recorded outbreak was in Brazil. When a person gets the Zika viruses that person can experience one or a combination of the following symptoms:

• Fever
• Rashes
• Joint Pain 
• Red Eyes

While these do seem mild, there have been cases where the Zika virus has caused paralysis. Scientist are still doing research on what other symptoms the Zika virus can cause and the level of severity those symptoms could reach.

The reason a person should worry about the Zika virus is not so much for contracting the virus but rather for causing an outbreak. One of the few and most common ways the Zika virus is spread is through mosquito bites. With so many people nowadays traveling in the U.S scientist are worried that an outbreak could occur soon. All that has to happen for an outbreak to occur is a mosquito biting a person who contracted the virus, then that mosquito biting someone else. Once more and more mosquitoes transmit the virus the faster it will begin to spread.

The U.S has had cases of the Zika virus, but almost all of those reports have been travel associated cases. (Cases where the Patient contracted the virus out of the U.S.)

Almost all of those cases were travel associated, except one.

Florida recently reported a case where a patient contracted the virus from a mosquito within the U.S. While this does not definitively mean we have an outbreak, it should be raising a few eyebrows.

Before you begin worrying out about a Zika virus outbreak, just know that we are still learning more about it. Also know that the contraction and spread of the virus is easily preventable using approved insect repellents.

Calolympic Safety has a variety of insect repellents to meet your needs: whether you prefer Picaridin, DEET or IR3535 as the active ingredient for insect repellent use. We also carry spray containing Permethrin to safely treat clothing and gear. We have insect repellent for personal and large business use; designed for the workplace and for your comfort.