State Lays Groundwork For Zika Response

WUKY | By Josh James

Published August 18, 2016 at 5:58 PM EDT

FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2016, file photo, an Aedes aegypti mosquito is photographed through a microscope at the Fiocruz institute in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil. The World Health Organization said on Wednesday March 9, 2016, that the traditional insecticide spraying methods have had no significant impact in slowing dengue, raising significant questions about how officials might stop the spread of the Zika virus, also spread by mosquitoes. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)

State health officials say there is no evidence the Zika virus is on the move in Kentucky, but the state is taking precautions should the mosquito-borne illness begin circulating.

As of August 5^th, the Kentucky Department of Public Health put the number of confirmed Zika cases in the commonwealth at 18 – all of which are believed to have originated from outside the state.

Local health departments have been outfitted with tool kits designed to educate both workers and patients on the virus while the department has launched other informational campaigns. Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture, along with Public Health Protection and Safety, sponsored training courses to license 50 new pesticide operators.

And David Wayne with the Agriculture Department told lawmakers Wednesday contingency plans are being put into place should Zika transmission occur in the state.

"We will actually allow the Kentucky Department for Public Health to utilize some of our equipment. Now that they have licensed and trained individuals that can apply mosquito control products, they can utilize some of our equipment to better effectively control mosquitos or control or reduce the risk of Zika transmission across the state," he said.

So far experts have identified a half-dozen cases of locally-transmitted Zika in Florida.