SALISBURY — The Worcester and Wicomico County health departments are partnering with the state on a Zika awareness town hall meeting set for Monday.
As part of the state of Maryland’s ongoing Zika awareness campaign, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Deputy Secretary of Public Health Services Dr. Howard Taft will visit the Lower Shore on Monday to speak at a town hall-style meeting on Zika.
The meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Tri-County Council building in Salisbury from 5-7 p.m. The Wicomico and Worcester County Health Departments are partnering to co-host the town hall meeting, which will include background on Zika and tips on how to prevent the transmission of the virus.
The disease is caused by the Zika virus, which is spread to people primarily through the bit of an infected Aedes species mosquito. Symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. Though symptoms are usually mild, Zika has the potential to cause serious birth defects during pregnancy including abnormally small head development and other severe fetal brain defects.