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Zika-bearing mosquitoes could travel to Iowa this summer

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April 29th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Research from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that southern mosquitoes could travel to Iowa this summer, but state experts don’t expect them to be a major carrier of the Zika virus.

The Des Moines Register reports that recently released maps from the federal agency show Iowa in the range of one of two mosquito species believed to carry the virus, which can cause severe birth defects. The maps show the Aedes aegypti species petering out in Missouri, but the Aedes albopictus mosquito could extend through Iowa and into southern Minnesota.

Iowa Department of Public Health’s medical director Patricia Quinlisk says the albopictus are believed to be much less likely to carry the virus. She doesn’t expect to see a major threat of transmission from mosquitoes in Iowa.