Health officials announced last week that the threat from the Zika virus in Texas is much lower than it was last year. As The Houston Chronicle reports, the mosquito-borne disease has ebbed in Central and South America, and the risk of mosquitos carrying the virus across the Texas border has lessened.
Likewise, the number of international travelers carrying the disease into the United States is expected to wane this year. But, not all medical professionals are expressing optimism.
Dr. John Hellerstedt is the commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services. He says that while he think’s it’s good news that so many countries are reporting decreasing numbers, he believes the Texas threat is still worrisome. “I fear,” he adds, “that the 2017 season will pick up where the 2016 left off.”
Even so, world-renowned Zika expert Dr. Peter Hotez says he believes “the sources of last year's epidemic are largely gone,” and many health scholars agree.