Houston, We Have A Problem: City Braces For Possible Arrival Of The Zika Virus This Summer

The city of Houston, Texas is bracing itself for the possible arrival of the ZIka virus this summer. State and local officials have assured people that they are doing their best to eliminate potential mosquito breeding grounds in the city. Meanwhile, federal health authorities say they have beefed up their Zika surveillance at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

During a recent press conference at the Good Neighbor Healthcare Center, Texas representative Sheila Jackson Lee pointed out that state and city officials are devising a method in which they can respond immediately in the event the Zika virus hits Houston. The city mayor and other health authorities then took to the podium to deliver similar messages, as per NPR.

Peter Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, cited three points as to why Houston is at great risk for Zika. He said the city's geography, economy and weather make it vulnerable to an epidemic.

"Houston is a gateway city. We're on the coast; we're not far from the Panama Canal. We're an immigrant hub," he explained. "Every day there are hundreds and thousands of people coming from all over the world to Houston."

Hotez added that Zika is a "disease of poverty." He noted that Houston has a high concentration of impoverished areas. The city's humidity doesn't help either. Hotez mentioned that Houston's warm temperature is perfect for the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Mosquitoes require warm and stable temperatures to hatch their eggs. Ambient temperatures dictate how fast the virus travels from the mosquito's gut to its saliva. In an ideal setting, it only takes a week for a mosquito to be fully capable of transmitting Zika.

Researchers shared to Houston Chronicle that mosquitoes could thrive in the hottest parts of California, Arizona and Texas this summer. This is because long-range forecasts for June to September show a 40 to 45 percent shift to warmer-than-normal temperatures in most parts of the US.