The D.C. Department of Health will distribute free Zika virus prevention kits in all eight wards Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (See below for a full list of kit pickup locations.)
In addition to educational materials, each kit will include insect repellent, condoms and mosquito dunks. You can put mosquito dunks in ponds, puddles or other standing water to kill off mosquito eggs.
D.C.-area residents are not at immediate risk of contracting Zika, but three local cases were reported by people who had traveled to Central and South America.
The most common form of mosquito in D.C., Culex pipiens, can carry a number of diseases, including West Nile virus, but not Zika. Aedes albopictus, the second most common mosquito in D.C., is able to spread the Zika virus among others, according to the D.C. Department of Public Health. Zika can also be sexually transmitted -- hence the presence of condoms in the kits.
D.C. health officials say getting a mosquito kit is a good way to prevent bites and stop the spread of disease.
You can pick up your free "fight the bite" kit Saturday between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at these locations:
- Ward 1 -- Banneker Recreation Center (2500 Georgia Ave. NW)
- Ward 2 -- Jellef Recreation Center (3265 S St. NW)
- Ward 3 -- Chevy Chase Community Center (5601 Connecticut Ave. NW)
- Ward 4 -- Emery Recreation Center (5801 Georgia Ave. NW)
- Ward 5 -- Brentwood Recreation Center (2311 14th St. NE)
- Ward 6 -- Kennedy Recreation Center (1401 7th St. NW)
- Ward 7 -- Deanwood Recreation Center (1350 49th St. NE)
- Ward 8 -- Bald Eagle Recreation Center (100 Joliet St. SW)
The first 50 households at each location will also receive a free emergency preparedness backpack, officials say.
