• Home
  • News  
    • Back
    • News Main
    • Mississippi Edition
    • @ISSUE
    • Submit a Story
    • NEWS TOPICS

      LATEST MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS SCIENCE EDUCATION HEALTH POLITICS LEGISLATURE SPORTS TECHNOLOGY WEATHER ARTS
  • Television
    • Back
    • Television Main
    • TV Schedules
    • Watch Now
    • PBS KIDS 24/7 Live
    • Stations
    • PROGRAM CATEGORIES

      MPB TV MPB Radio Think Radio Music Radio MPB TV Kids News Music Call-In Travel Food History Science
  • Radio
    • Back
    • Radio Main
    • Think Radio Schedule
    • Music Radio Schedule
    • Listen Online
    • Think Radio
    • Music Radio
    • Radio Reading Service
    • PROGRAM CATEGORIES

      MPB TV MPB Radio Think Radio Music Radio MPB TV Kids News Music Call-In Travel Food History Science
  • Education  
    • Back
    • Education Main
    • Educators
    • Parents
    • Kids
    • Ed Said
    • e-Learning for Educators
    • MIVN
    • American Graduate
    • Between the Lions
  • More  
    • Back
    • About
    • Press Room
    • Legal
    • Careers
    • Mailing List
    • Events Calendar
    • Underwriting
    • Members
    • Support MPB
    • About
    • Contact
    • MPB Kids
    • Legal
    • Mailing List
    • Listen Live
    • Support MPB
    • Employee Login

    NEWS TOPICS

    LATEST MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS SCIENCE EDUCATION HEALTH POLITICS LEGISLATURE SPORTS TECHNOLOGY WEATHER ARTS

    PROGRAM CATEGORIES

    MPB Think Radio Music Radio MPB TV Kids News Music Call-In Travel Food History Science
Contact Kids Watch Now Listen Live
Support
  • News

    News Links

    • News Main
    • Submit a Story
    • Mississippi Edition
    • @ISSUE

    Topics

    LATEST MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS SCIENCE EDUCATION HEALTH POLITICS LEGISLATURE SPORTS TECHNOLOGY WEATHER ARTS

    Latest News

    Mississippi Edition

  • Television

    About

    • Television Programs
    • TV Schedules
    • PBS KIDS 24/7 Schedule
    • Create

    Where To Watch

    • PBS
    • Watch Now
    • PBS KIDS 24/7 Live
    • Stations

    Top Local Programs

    • Amped And Wired
    • Conversations
    • Fit to Eat
    • Farm Week
    • Mississippi Outdoors
    • Mississippi Roads
    • Palate To Palette
    • Southern Remedy

    From Our Blogs

  • Radio

    About

    • Radio Programs
    • Think Radio Schedule
    • Music Radio Schedule
    • Listen Online
    • Podcasts
    • NPR

    MPB Radio Stations

    • Think Radio
    • Music Radio
    • Radio Reading Service

    Latest Episodes

    Top Local Programs

    • Creature Comforts
    • Deep South Dining
    • Everyday Tech
    • Fix It 101
    • The Gestalt Gardener
    • In Legal Terms
    • Money Talks
    • Next Stop Mississippi
    • Now You're Talking With Marshall Ramsey
    • MPB's Season Pass
    • Southern Remedy
  • Education

    MPB Education

    • Education Main
    • Educators
    • Parents
    • Kids Club
    • Ed Said
    • PBS KIDS

    Initiatives

    • American Graduate
    • Between the Lions
    • Ready To Learn

    Latest Blog Posts

    Educators

    • e-Learning for Educators
    • MIVN
    • Curricula >
    • PBS LearningMedia >
  • More

    About

    • About MPB
    • Pressroom
    • Legal
    • Careers
    • Events Calendar
    • Support
    • Underwriting
    • Contact

    Around MPB

    Latest Press

Share on FacebookTweet this postShare by Email

Zika hits MS: Precautions for pregnant women, travelers

Last Updated by Maura Moed on
Off! Mosquito and Tick Repellent with DEET! Deep Woods Off!
Stock Photo: Mike Mozart

Mississippians are being advised to take caution after reports of the state's first case of the Zika virus. MPB's Maura Moed reports. 

The State Health Department confirmed its first case of Zika virus in Madison County. They say the person had just returned from a trip to Haiti.  

State Epidemiologist Dr. Thomas Dobbs says 80 percent of people infected show no symptoms. He says this could expose the virus to mosquitoes in Mississippi.

"That's one of the things that worries us a little bit. We don't have the type of mosquitoes that are spreading Zika virus in Brazil and the Caribbean, but we do have another mosquito that's plentiful, that could theoretically spread it and we want to take every precaution to prevent transmission in Mississippi," says Dobbs. 

Dr. Dobbs advises travelers recently returning from countries with Zika outbreaks to avoid local mosquitoes for three weeks once they get home. However, he says it is unlikely for the virus to spread in Mississippi.

MSDH is also asking pregnant women or women planning to be pregnant in the near future to avoid travel to Zika-infected countries. 

Dr. Dobbs says women should be especially careful since it could cause birth defects in children if contracted during pregnancy.  

"It could potentially go from woman to a man, but obviously we're more worried about the women because of the effect on the baby. A man who has traveled to a Zika-infected country should not have sex with a pregnant woman for the entire duration of pregnancy. If they do have sex, they should use a condom with every event," Dobbs says. 

Health officials recommend using mosquito repellent that contains DEET while you are outdoors, avoiding areas where mosquitoes are prevalent, and wearing loose, light-colored clothing to cover the arms and legs when outdoors during the day or night.

previous post

Partisan Politics Stalls Work in Miss. Legislature

next post

Jackson Group Seeks Change in High Speed Police Chase Policies

News

Watch Palate to Palette, Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. on MPB TV.

Find Out More

Connect

Follow Like Watch Subscribe Photos

Learn More

  • About
  • Pressroom
  • Contact
  • Directions
  • Careers
  • Underwriting

Support

  • Support MPB
  • MPB Car Tag
  • Car Donation
  • Passport
  • Members Portal

Legal

  • Legal Main
  • Public Files And Reports
  • Privacy Policy
  • Open Meetings Announcements
  • Transparency Mississippi
  • MPB Contest Rules

Employees

  • Email Login
  • State Personnel Board
  • MS.gov
  • ACE

Connect

  • Follow Us on Twitter
  • Like Our Facebook Page
  • Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel
  • Subscribe to Our RSS Feed
  • Subscribe to Our Podcast
  • See Our Photos on Flickr
FCC Public Files

TV STATIONS

  • WMAE-TV
  • WMAV-TV
  • WMAO-TV
  • WMAB-TV
  • WMPN-TV
  • WMAW-TV
  • WAMU-TV
  • WMAH-TV

OTHER

  • Transparency Mississippi
  • Public Files And Reports

© Mississippi Authority for Educational Television d/b/a Mississippi Public Broadcasting - All Rights Reserved.
MPB is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

MPB

Mississippi Public Broadcasting

3825 Ridgewood Road
Jackson, Mississippi 39211

601.432.6565