Students Receive Zika Virus Coloring Books in Alabama
According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are currently 544 cases of Zika in the continental United States.
The growing threat has health experts in Alabama turning to an unconventional method to get the public aware, one that’s full of color.
The Alabama Department of Public Health is distributing coloring books to educate children throughout the state about the Zika virus. They have printed 250,000 copies of the Swat Team: Skeeter Beaters Coloring Books and distributed to every school in Alabama.
Bureau of Environmental Services Director Sherry Bradley said in a statement Wednesday that the department’s goal is “to educate youth and engage them and their parents in the process of protecting themselves.”
The Zika virus spreads through bites from infected Aedes species mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti. Officials are urging residents to rid their property of standing water to eliminate potential breeding environments for the pests. The department offers additional prevention tips and educational resources online.
The educational materials are targeted to children in preschool through third grade.
It’s designed to get children to engage their parents. By doing so, health officials believe it will educate parents on how to control the mosquito population as the hot summer months approach.
Besides the Zika virus, health say helping control the mosquito population will also cut down on the risk of other diseases that mosquitoes carry.
(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Rashad Snell contributed some information)
