Igniting community partnerships to educate and prevent the spread of the Zika virus in Texas

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Elizabeth Perez, MPH

Zika is a frightening disease few people had heard of until recently. Over the last few months, many Americans have become aware of the virus, spread by mosquitoes that if acquired during pregnancy can cause microcephaly (babies born with small heads) and other severe fetal brain defects. A few weeks ago, Harris County Public Health (HCPH) announced that the first child in the state of Texas was born with Zika-related microcephaly. The mother contracted the disease in Colombia, but gave birth at a one of our local hospitals. Our thoughts and prayers are with the child and family who are dealing with this heartbreaking consequence of the spread of the Zika virus.

As public health workers, this is one child too many to be born with this birth defect due to a mosquito-borne disease. The lifetime cost of treating a child with microcephaly is estimated to be more than $10 million. For public health, Zika is a very real threat in our communities. Especially since Harris County has the mosquito species that carries Zika.

Harris County has the nation’s foremost mosquito and vector control program in the U.S. However, even with a program as comprehensive as ours, we need your help to combat the virus. Since there is no vaccine or treatment for Zika infection, we believe heavily in the age old mantra of public health-prevention works. And while our mosquito control program is working with software giants like Microsoft on being able to test and identify the presence of Zika in our mosquitos, we rely on education, engagement and outreach to our community to prevent the spread of Zika.

We have been working vigorously with our partners and within our community to help them understand that health happens where you live, worship, work and play. We have designed culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach materials in the primarily languages spoken in our community, English, Spanish and Vietnamese. To enhance our program effectiveness, we have partnered with our local Walmart’s, Fiesta Marts, Lowe’s and ACE Hardware stores, WIC clinics, churches, schools and parks, to name a few.

Traveling abroad to Latin America, I have seen first-hand the devastation Zika can cause on a family and its community, which is why our team has been working diligently for months on Zika prevention and response plans. But, all of us know that there is more work that needs to be done.

Just like with any other disease or condition, individuals and families must also do their part to prevent getting Zika. Mosquitos spread a variety of diseases and cause over 1 million deaths worldwide each year.

Our message to our community is very simple: ¡Prevenga la picadura de día y de noche! - Prevent the Bite Day and Night! Essentially, do your part to prevent getting bitten by mosquitos wherever you go. Reduce mosquito breeding sites in and around your home-and make sure your mother, uncle, la tía Lolita, el primo José and abuela are doing the same.

As we always say in Spanish: “La unión hace la fuerza”. – Unity makes us strong. Public health and prevention work best when as an entire community comes together to address a health concern. Let’s work together to make sure that we don’t have to tell one more parent that their child is born with Zika-related microcephaly in our country.

Elizabeth Perez, MPH, is the Director at the Office of Communication, Education and Engagement (OCEE), Harris County Public Health, Harris County, Texas