UTEP testing mosquitoes from Rio Grande Valley for Zika
The demand for testing mosquitoes for the Zika Virus across Texas is so high–mosquito samples are being brought to El Paso.
The Zika Virus is causing so much concern because it causes neurological disorders and birth defects. UTEP researchers Abc-7 spoke with say diseases have no borders, which is why testing is so crucial.
Mosquito samples from McAllen, Brownsville and across the Rio Grande Valley were bussed to UTEP last week.
“This is a virus that has been unprecedented in everything we know about enough mosquito transmitted viruses,” Dr. Douglas Watts with UTEP’s Border Biomedical Research Center said.
Mosquitoes carrying Zika have been found in Brazil and in Southern Mexico, not the U.S, but UTEP researchers foresee it being problem in the future.
“There are different studies being done that show people going back and forth across the border and El Paso/Juarez is a huge point where they’re going back and forth,” Cindy Crews said.
It’s not a huge issue now–but the demand for testing is. The state health lab in Austin is overwhelmed with samples. So much so, UTEP’s mosquito surveillance lab is testing samples from all over the Rio Grande Valley. UTEP’s mosquito surveillance lab is now in the process of testing between 50-100 mosquitoes for the Zika Virus.
“It may take 3-4 weeks, months, to get the results back to these counties and we try to be more efficient and get results much faster,” Dr. Watts said.
Dr. Watts says those counties don’t have mosquito control programs like El Paso.
“We’re doing what Brownsille can’t do,” Dr. Watts said.
Lab technicians trap mosquitoes then take the mosquitoes to the lab where they’re frozen, then tested. Dr. Watts says the need for testing will remain at least until a vaccine is created, but he said that could be years.
“Do we know everything that there is to be known at Zika? No. That’s one of the big concerns.”
The samples from the Rio Grande Valley will be sent back in the coming days, once results are in.
