Nobody knew of the perils of the Zika virus before 2016, heck, nobody even knew what it was. Now, people all over the world have experienced the chaos that this 50-year-old disease brings. The latest instance of the disease has instilled fear among the masses. This has been the topic of many news companies. Even several Olympic athletes decided not to join in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games due to the Zika virus.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have devised the best solution to avoid contracting the disease. And the solution is very simple: avoid mosquito bites. One of the ways that the CDC is promoting is the use of air conditioning to prevent mosquito bites. Jerome Hogsette, lead scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Mosquito and Fly Research Unit, suggests the use of air curtains to prevent the insects from even infiltrating a building.
The effects of the Zika Virus
Zika can cause many complications to the human body, but the most prominent effects are what it does to pregnant women. Women who are expecting are susceptible to stillbirths and miscarriages, and if the baby survives, it would suffer from microcephaly. Microcephaly is a mutation that indicates the incomplete brain development that a fetus may incur when exposed to the virus. This is very alarming since there is still no cure for Zika and the spread of the disease still can’t be stopped.
Source: YouTube
The CDC has released statistics that as of November 2nd, the US has already faced 4,128 cases of Zika and 1,005 of which are pregnant women. As of today, Florida is the only state where domestic infections have occurred. A guidance has been issued for people going to or live within 4.5 square miles of the Wynwood neighbourhood in Miami, where the mosquito-borne Zika virus has been identified. More guidelines have been released to prepare the people for the above average temperatures in November which could very well signify an extension of the mosquito season.
The countermeasure
Hogsette has addressed the growing concerns of the people with regards to the Zika virus and has announced in a recent press release that air curtains can be a viable solution to prevent any further outbreaks of the said disease. The carrier insects rely on stagnant, non-moving air in order to travel effectively and air curtains provide direction to air movement which can ‘sabotage’ how any flying insect travels. He also specified that creating air movement is effective in disrupting an insect’s flight pattern, making it unable to enter specific areas.
Source: Berner International
John Pas, product manager at Nortek Global HVAC, agrees regarding how air curtains prevents mosquitos from entering a building through open doorways. Recently, Pas confirmed that there hasn’t been any inquiries from users and contractors regarding air curtains and Zika. But he expects that to change in the near future as other companies are also starting on fielding their questions. Miranda Berner, from Berner International, noted that they are receiving inquiries on the matter. In addition to that, they already issued a press release regarding air curtains being a possible prevention of Zika.
General safety of the community
Source: Berner International via YouTube
Other companies like Mars Air Systems, Amp’d Lab, and many others have already released information on the media. They are also beginning to make their move in promoting the use of air curtains to prevent Zika spread. Many prefer the use of these air curtains, why? Since they don’t pose any physical threat as they don’t make use of chemical products.
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