News

#ZapZika Campaign Continues

A State Health Department public education campaign is underway to explain the risk of the Zika virus to pregnant women, college students and others considering travel to Latin America and the Caribbean.

As part of the #ZapZika campaign, on Monday, April 4, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Arturo Brito, a bilingual pediatrician, will meet with patients, pregnant women and healthcare providers at the CompleteCare Health Network. The event will begin at 11 a.m. at 785 West Sherman Ave. in Vineland. Dr. Brito will deliver his presentation in English and Spanish.

Acting Health Commissioner Cathleen Bennett kicked off the campaign in March at Montclair State University. The campaign also includes radio public service announcements in English and Spanish, along with NJ Transit bus advertising encouraging pregnant women to avoid travel to Zika-affected countries and travelers to prevent mosquito bites by using insect repellent and wearing long sleeves and pants.

The Department’s campaign builds on previous outreach efforts. More than 1,000 public health and health care professionals and maternal and child health advocates have participated in five conference calls hosted by the Department to share information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and more than 350 local health officials joined a training webinar and received tool kits to use in their communities.

For more information, visit the Department’s Zika webpage at nj.gov/health/cd/zika/ or CDC’s Zika website at cdc.gov/zika.

Follow the New Jersey Department of Health on Twitter at twitter.com/NJDeptofHealth and on Facebook at facebook.com/NJDeptofHealth.