As concerns over the Zika outbreak continue to grow in Florida, police are working to protect some of its most vulnerable residents, homeless individuals.
Miami police officers are giving out bug spray to homeless residents in Wynwood, Miami, according to ABC News, an area where the first cases of locally transmitted cases of Zika in the U.S. were identified.
At least 15 residents have been infected by mosquitoes locally, Reuters reported, and health officials have located the area just north of downtown Miami ― which includes Wynwood ― as the epicenter of Zika transmission in the state.
U.S. health officials have warned for months that the summer mosquito season might bring outbreaks in Gulf states such as Florida.
Authorities hope to curb the spread of the virus, which can cause birth defects in newborns and homeless people who live outdoors are particularly susceptible.
The Miami Police Department distributed 50 cans of bug repellent on Tuesday, according to ABC, one to each homeless resident they came across in Wynwood, and left any extras at the Miami Rescue Shelter.
There were 4,152 homeless residents in Miami-Dade County last year and 35,964 statewide, according to Florida’s Council on Homelessness.
In some areas of Florida, at least 90 percent of homeless individuals were unsheltered last year, according to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
While in most cases, Zika only causes mild symptoms, such as fever or rash, for pregnant women the outcomes can be severe. The virus has been found to cause birth defects in newborns, including microcephaly, which can lead to intellectual disabilities in children.
This isn’t the first initiative to protect Florida’s homeless from Zika. In June, Tampa charity Metropolitan Ministries gave out 150 Zika-prevention kits to homeless individuals. The kits contained a net, bug spray and tablets to kill mosquito larvae in standing water, according to Tampa’s Fox News.
“I’ve been in Florida for 10 years and every year I run into a family sleeping in a park, or in the woods,” Tim Marks, Metropolitan Ministries president, told Tampa’s WFLA in June. “They’ve all complained about bug bites, and now with Zika, the risk is even higher.”
To help further prevent Zika moving forward, one Miami police officer suggested providing more information to residents.
“Many of the homeless knew about Zika but some didn’t,” James Barnet, of the Miami Police Department, told ABC News. “So the homeless who didn’t know what Zika was, we would tell them about it. We need to do more education.”
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