In the last period, anyone who has followed the news has heard about the Zika virus; although it has recently come to the footlights, the virus was first isolated in 1947 in Uganda and only in recent years has spread to all continents, including Europe.
Brazil has the highest rate of Zika infection, followed by Colombia, but it is expanding in many parts of South and Central America.
The disease is transmitted by the punctures of infected mosquitoes of the genus Aedes and, after an incubation period of 3 to 12 days, determines generally mild symptomatology such as fever, rash, conjunctivitis, headaches and joint pain that typically resolve in a few days.
There is no cure or specific vaccine against the virus, treatment is directed only at relieving symptoms.
In people infected, the disease can also be asymptomatic, but in Brazil where the virus has had a recent surge, there is suspicion that in pregnant women could cause fetal malformations.
To prevent contagion are valid the measures already commonly used against mosquitoes:
- it is necessary to avoid water accumulation in external containers and any kind of backwater to prevent the proliferation of the larvas;
- to use skin repellents and if possible wear long-sleeved clothing and long pants;
- to apply mosquito nets to the windows of the residences and public buildings.
Many countries are trying to reduce the proliferation of insects carrying the virus.
A great mean to fight its spread is the pest control, method used to combat malaria, dengue and yellow fever.
There are two types of pest control:
- preventive with the use of larvicides
- adulticide in order to break down the adult specimens
The mistblower is an effective tool for performing these operations.
In the preventive treatment it is of fundamental importance the size of a few tens of microns of the drops distributed, to penetrate all interstices where the larvas are deposited.
In the adulticide the mistblower, micronizing the product, avoids unnecessary losses to the ground and goes direct to the affected area with a targeted application.
The Cifarelli mistblower is used all over the world for disinfestation operations at low volume, which is obtained with drops from the average diameter of 100/150 pm, perfect size for optimal coverage.
With the M1200 Cifarelli mistblower, thanks to its powerful engine and the large volume of air produced, it has an effective distribution (30-40 drops/cm2) up to a distance of 12/13 meters both horizontally and vertically.
The ULV accessory (ultra low volume in English), applied to the launching tube of the machine, further reduces the size, up to less than 70 µm in diameter.
For this reason the ULV accessory is the most appropriate for the civil disinfection. The treatment penetrates the porosities of the walls and reaches every possible refuge of larvas or insects.
