The spread of a mosquito-borne virus that may cause birth defects has a handful of associations taking action help their members make informed comments when speaking to the media about the disease.

The Zika virus has been linked to an increase in several Latin American countries of a rare brain anomaly in infants called microcephaly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued travel alerts for pregnant women heading to Central and South America as well as the Caribbean Islands. The disease also has been detected in the U.S.

Associations are helping their members cope with increased media scrutiny as new cases of Zika are discovered in more regions across the Americas. In a statement, U.S. Travel Association CEO Roger Dow said his group is acting as a bridge between the travel community and public health officials as the two seek to educate the public about the disease.

"We are monitoring this situation every day, with a focus on developments announced by the administration and public health agencies, as well as reports in the media," he said.

U.S. Travel also has created a special web page on its site with talking points for the industry when discussing the Zika virus: ustravel.org/zika

The National Pest Management Association sent out a statement to members Jan. 27 explaining what the Zika virus is and what the group has been doing to get the correct information to the media about mosquito control efforts.

"To be clear, as members of the pest management industry, we are NOT experts in discussing the virus, nor can we speculate on its potential to spread," the association said. "However, we ARE experts in mosquitoes and effective mosquito control and can help by educating the public on how to avoid contact with mosquitoes, both while traveling and at home, and how to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds and reducing biting mosquito populations by working with a pest control professional here in the U.S." http://bit.ly/1o9LQN7

Several media outlets have reported that cruise lines have been redirecting reporters' calls about the Zika virus to the Cruise Lines International Association. However, CLIA has not issued any statements about the disease on its website.

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