The Fairfax County Health Department, which is the City of Falls Church’s health department through a contract, will host a town hall meeting about the Zika virus on Thursday, Sept. 8 at the Falls Church Community Center at 223 Little Falls Street.

Fairfax County Health Department staff will discuss Zika, what is known about the virus and what residents can do to prevent it and other mosquito-borne diseases. Representatives will also discuss the agency’s mosquito and human surveillance efforts and possible interventions should a locally acquired case of Zika be identified.

For those who can not attend the town hall, representatives from the health department are available to give brief presentations about the Zika virus at home owners association meetings. To schedule a presentation, call 703-246-8931 or email HDLiaison@fairfaxcounty.gov.

The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is a possible vector for this disease and is common in Northern Virginia. Mosquito season will not end until the first hard frost of the year, so the City said that it is important that residents remain vigilant about preventing mosquitoes around their homes and protecting themselves from bites for the remainder of the summer and fall.

Zika virus is primarily spread to people by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, but can also be spread through sexual contact, from a pregnant woman to her fetus and possibly through blood. For more information, call 703-248-5005 or email hhsinfo@fallschurchva.gov.