Southernmost Flyer Feb. 26, 2016

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Eye on the Fleet

San diego

VOL. 27 NO. 8

WWW.CNIC.NAVY.MIL/KEYWEST NAVAL AIR STATION KEY WEST, FLORIDA

Voter aid available to Sailors

MILITARY SAVES

(Feb. 22, 2016) Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) perform a check on the ship’s barricade during a maintenance evolution on the flight deck. Carl Vinson is pierside in its homeport of San Diego.

From NAS Key West Public Affairs

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U.S. Navy photo by MCSN Sean Castellano

inside: New coordinator Liberty program. . . . . . . . . . . 2 HAPPY B-DAY Supply Corps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 NOT PUPPY LOVE Teen dating violence . . . . . . 5 A LOOK BACK History review. . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Health Tip The skeeters are buzzing - avoid being bit: Wear repellant, make sure your windows are screened if you open windows/doors and empty standing water on your property. TOP OF PAGE ONE: An F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the Tophatters of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14 launches from USS John C. Stennis’ (CVN 74) flight deck.

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U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Cody Babin

aval Air Station Key West Commanding Officer Capt. Steve McAlearney, center, signs the 2016 Military Saves Week Proclamation on Boca Chica Field Feb. 19 as Navy and civilian financial specialists watch. Military Saves Week, which began Monday, features financial workshops. The week ends Friday with a fair and barbecue at the Chief Petty Officers Mess parking lot on Boca Chica.

hile Armed Forces Voters Week isn’t until June 27 - July 5, with upcoming state primaries it’s never too early to register. Naval Air Station Key West’s voting assistance officer is available to help service members, their dependents and DOD civilians with voter registration and absentee balsee vote page 3

Health officials urge proactive approach to mosquitoes By Jolene Scholl Southernmost Flyer

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fficials with the Monroe County Health Department are being proactive and preparing now for the potential spread of the Zika virus to the U.S. and they are asking the public to help thwart the mosquito that carries the virus. “We have no confirmed cases of Zika in the Florida Keys,” said Monroe County Health Director Bob Eadie.

Of the 32 cases of infection reported in Florida as of Thursday, all were travelers returning from areas where the infection is active, primarily Brazil. Of those 32, three are pregnant. Eadie described the county health department’s role as dual-purposed - educating the public and monitoring the epidemiology reports from physicians countywide. Reports received here are shared at the state level and with the CDC.

The office also communicates with the Monroe County Mosquito Control District to keep track of the mosquito populations. One of the concerns among health officials is the “urbanization” - transmission - of the virus to the existing mosquito population. The aedes aegypti, which can transmit dengue, Zika and chikungunya viruses - bites during the daytime, whereas other mosquitoes don’t begin feeding until evening.

The aedes aegypti is the mosquito responsible for a local dengue outbreak in 2009 - 2010. Back then, the “ABCD campaign” - actions to break the cycle of dengue - worked to contain the spread of dengue, according to Dr. Mark Whiteside, an infectious disease specialist and medical director for the MCHD. “We haven’t had Zika here in the United States except for cases that were imported,” Whiteside pointed out during a U.S. 1 Radio inter-

view earlier this month. This mosquito, however, is an elite invader. “It’s evolved to be around man, so it hides in closets, under houses,” said Eadie. “This mosquito is labor intensive. You have to hunt them down.” The mosquito breeds in fresh water and can do so in an amount as small as what could be found in a cap from a plastic soda bottle, he noted. The mosquitoes see mosquitoes page 4


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Southernmost Flyer Feb. 26, 2016 by Southernmost Flyer - Issuu