This past Thursday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo revealed a six-step action plan to prevent a potential outbreak among residents of the state who regularly travel to areas impacted by the virus, including Puerto Rico and Brazil.

Zika is a mosquito-borne virus spread by the Aedes aegypti species and possibly by sexual transmission. The virus is a particular concern for pregnant women because it can result in a serious birth defect known as microcephaly, an underdeveloped head and other brain and eye abnormalities. Cuomo’s action plan comes after both Brazilian and global authorities were criticized for not acting quickly enough to contain the spread of the virus.

“The state is taking aggressive action to reduce the risk of Zika transmission in New York,” said Governor Cuomo in the statement. “We have put in place a first-in-the-nation action plan that will work to eliminate Zika at its source, reduce potential transmissions, and safeguard expectant mothers against this dangerous disease. The state is monitoring the situation closely and continues to work with all partners to protect the public health.”

Some of the plan’s key components are designed to target Zika virus where it begins, increase public awareness, and assemble a rapid response team. State officials will hand out 100,000 larvicide tablets to eradicate mosquito larvae, deploy traps in 1,000 locations each month in the hope of catching and testing 60,000 Aedes mosquitos, and distribute 20,000 protection kits, including insect repellant for pregnant women, and condoms to prevent against potential sexual transmission of the disease.

“Until we learn more, the best way to prevent microcephaly is to keep pregnant women from being exposed to Zika by not traveling to affected regions, using personal mosquito protection, and doing environmental mosquito control,” said Dr. Howard Zucker, New York’s commissioner of health. Pregnant women should also use condoms or practice abstinence during pregnancy if their partner is at risk for Zika.”

Back on Feb. 4, Cuomo announced that the state would expand free Zika testing to include all pregnant women who have traveled to places where the virus has been found. At the time, 11 positive diagnoses had been confirmed in the state.

Although the A. aegypti mosquito species is not native to New York, a related species known as Aedes albopictus is commonly found in southern areas of the state. However, scientists have not been able to determine if this species can transmit Zika. This species of mosquito typically has a lifespan of around three weeks and stays within 200 yards of where it’s born.

The World Health Organization said the virus is likely to spread through all countries in the Americas except for Canada and Chile. Since then, 258 travel-associated Zika cases have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.