VACo has participated in a series of meetings and conference calls with state, federal and local officials discussing the latest information about Zika. In order to disseminate the latest information, the Virginia Department of Health will lead an informational call for VACo members on June 28 at 1 p.m. focusing on mosquito control.
The Virginia Department of Health will hold a statewide teleconference with localities concerning Zika and the roles of local jurisdictions on June 28 and June 29 at 1 p.m. The teleconference is held in coordination with VACo, the Virginia Municipal League (VML) and the Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions (VAPDC). The call will last approximately 45 minutes.
The focus of the teleconference will be mosquito control and establishment of mosquito control districts by one or more localities.
Due to the number of expected participants and the limited number of available phone lines, VDH has had to schedule two identical teleconferences. The June 28 teleconference is intended for members of VACo and VDH local health district directors, while the June 29 teleconference is intended for VML and VAPDC, also with VDH local health district directors. The content of both teleconferences will be identical.
The call-in number is 866.842.5779 and the conference code is 804.864.7004.
The following individuals will provide comments:
• Dr. Laurie Forlano – Director, VDH Office of Epidemiology
• Dr. Nancy Welch – Director, Chesapeake Health District and Chair, Chesapeake Mosquito Control Commission
• Dreda Symonds – Director, Chesapeake Mosquito Control Commission
• Grant Kronenberg/Duncan Pitchford – Assistant Attorney General, Environmental Section, Office of the Attorney General.
The comments will be brief, approximately 15 minutes overall, to allow approximately 30 minutes for questions and answers. It is anticipated that many localities will have similar questions. Given the large number of individuals expected to participate in the teleconference, participants are requested to submit any questions they may have to Melanie.Norris@vdh.virginia.gov at VDH by 5 p.m. June 22. The questions will be shared with the presenters and other subject matter experts, so that they can respond to the questions during the teleconference.
Participants are also encouraged to review the Virginia State Zika Response Plan, found at www.ZikaVA.org, particularly the mosquito surveillance and control recommendations found on pp. 43-46.
The following localities have established mosquito control districts: Alexandria, Fairfax County, Prince William, Henrico, Gloucester, York, Poquoson, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach.
VACo Contact: Phyllis Errico, CAE