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Five Santa Barbara County residents infected with Zika virus

September 27, 2016

mosquitoSanta Barbara County health officials have confirmed a total of five residents in the county who have contracted the Zika virus. Three of the five Zika cases were confirmed this month.

Each of the individuals who tested positive for the virus contracted it while traveling. Of the five who contracted Zika, four are women and one is a man, KCOY reports.

Health officials confirmed the first two cases in August. First, a pregnant Santa Barbara County woman contracted Zika while in Central America. Then, a non-pregnant woman tested positive for the virus after visiting a region of Mexico where Zika is transmitted.

Officials have not released any details about the three most recent cases. The county health department said last month it expects the number of confirmed Zika cases will increase as doctors follow a Centers for Disease Control recommendation to screen and/or test at-risk individuals.

The Zika virus is primarily spread by infected mosquitoes, specifically the yellow fever mosquito and the Asian tiger mosquito. Zika outbreaks have occurred in Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, Mexico and Central and South America.

Zika can also be spread through sexual activity. Additionally, the Zika infection can be passed from a pregnant woman to the fetus. The infection can cause the child to be born with microcephaly — small head syndrome — as well as brain damage and other birth defects.

There have been no cases of people contracting Zika from mosquitoes bites in California. All confirmed Zika cases in California have involved people who contracted the virus while traveling outside the United Staes or through sexual conduct with an infected traveler, according to the state Department of Public Health.

The Santa Barbara County Mosquito and Vector Management District is currently trapping and testing mosquitoes. As of the end of August, traps and tests had yet to show any evidence of the presence of Zika-carrying mosquitoes in Santa Barbara County.

In San Luis Obispo County, health officials have not reported any cases of residents contracting Zika.


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SLO County stopped doing Vector control in like 2009. Dr. Borenstein did pretty much beg the Board of Supervisors awhile back to at least allow Public Health to study our county and see if we have the mosquitos that carry Zika, Dengue fever, and West Nile Virus. At that time, we did not. Too bad there isn’t as much love for preventative action rather than pure police funding. Maybe Sheriff Parkinson can ask for a mosquito SWAT team unit to beat the bugs to death instead. I mean, they will still spread disease before they die, but at least we will see bragging pictures in the Tribune after the mosquito is squashed.


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We are not going to make anyplace mosquito proof unless all water is sprayed. Then there are the people vector? It will come down to which health risk you choose. Are we creating new problems to sell drugs?


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West Nile virus is still alive and just as dangerous but our government has already contributed MILLIONS with no solution and now we have to come up with another virus and dumping MILLIONS into this for employment purposes. I read an article saying of the $1.3 billion the current Administration wants, $600 million goes back into a “special fund” they maintain and have “loaned” to Zika already and $500 million is for advertising (no doubt to all the Liberal Media Outlets) and $3 million is for “miscellaneous” expenses. Boy, any business that run a business this way would never stay in business.


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Don’t you know the governments motto,”Never pass up a chance to scare the voters and spend lots of taxpayer money” regardless if the reason is valid or not.


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