Health Officials Planning Georgia’s Zika Prevention Efforts

Chances are, just a few months ago, most of us had not heard of the Zika virus.

Zika was a relatively mild disease mostly confined to Africa. But then, it started moving, eventually reaching Latin America. And there are signs Zika is linked to microcephaly — mothers giving birth to infants with abnormally small heads — though there is still no definite proof that Zika is the cause.

Zika is carried by mosquitos, and while Georgia does not yet have a case linked to mosquitos here, public health officials are already trying to plan their education and prevention efforts.  On “Morning Edition,” Denis O’Hayer spoke with Dr. Rosemarie Kelly, a public health entomologist — or bug expert –with the Georgia Department of Public Health.