As local officials prepare for another bout with Zika, we learned recently that the virus linked to birth defects can show up in what researchers call a common backyard mosquito.
"It's the aedes albopictus, or more commonly its called an Asian tiger mosquito."
Previously it was thought that Zika was carried only by the aedes Egypti mosquito, though Palm Beach County Health Department spokesman Tim O'Connor tells us this really comes as no surprise to those on the front lines.
"We had been watching that, even last year because it has that potential to transmit disease and so this new revalation, if you will, out of Brazil where they identified a couple of populations where they had Zika RNA in their bloodstream, or in their symptom. The potential is still there."
O'Connor says there's nothing new for us to be concerned about.
"The prevention measure is the same, you know strain that water around your house. You're not going to be able to tell the difference between the aedes egypti and the aedes albopictus, you know they're both mosquitoes.He tells us mosquito control is handling the situation.
"Mosquitoes carry any number of diseases. Over the years, all those different types of mosquitoes and we've been able to counteract that, so finding a second is of concern in the fact that it has a broader geographic area. But creating this awareness and knowing what to do to prevent those mosquito bites is really tantamount to keeping this under control."
The Asian tiger mosquito is found in colder climates, where the original breed that carries Zika is not.
Photo: Getty Images