Ogle County Health Department will offer insect repellent kits to its residents that will be traveling to areas where Zika virus is epidemic. Zika has now been found to be locally transmitted in the Miami, Florida area. Ogle County citizens traveling to Florida or areas of Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America as well as the Pacific Islands and Cape Verde are eligible to pick up a FREE Zika Preparedness Kit. The 2016 Olympics which are being held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is an area where there have been a high number of cases of Zika virus and other mosquito borne diseases. If you are traveling to an area of high Zika Virus transmission you may stop by the Ogle County Health Department at 907 W Pines Road, Oregon for information on how to prevent Zika transmission and for mosquito repellent. Two types of repellent are being offered: repellent for use on the skin and repellent for use on clothing, tents, and untreated mosquito netting. Supplies are limited and are only for those travelers going to an area of high Zika Virus activity.
There has been no local transmission of Zika in Illinois although there have been travel-related cases reported in the state. Educating the public and helping with Zika prevention tactics is one way Ogle County Health Department seeks to protect and serve the residents of Ogle County.
For more information on areas where Zika is an epidemic go to: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/zika-travel-information . For additional information on Zika Virus and eligibility for insect repellent call the Ogle County Health Department’s Director of Health Education/Emergency Preparedness at 815-732-7330 ext 279 or visit our website at: http://oglecounty.org/departments/health-department-2/ and click on Community Alerts
