Miami is continuing with its aerial spraying of pesticides to kill mosquitoes carrying Zika Virus.
Miami completed aerial spraying of insecticide Naled on Friday morning, despite concerns from citizens. The spraying took place before dawn. This and sunset are when the mosquitoes carrying Zika are most active.
Miami is only spraying Naled during the times when the Zika-carrying mosquitoes are most active. Also, the insecticide has been in use since the 1950s and is safe. Only about two tablespoons of it is dispersed for each acre. Pesticide and larvicide is also being sprayed by health officials on the ground where the mosquitoes are believed to be located.
Miami’s effort to combat Zika comes as the virus has begun to spread in the state. There have been 56 local transmissions of it in Florida and 596 cases of the virus in the state connected to travel. The aerial spraying was originally supposed to occur on Thursday, but was delayed due to protests, reports CNN.
Walt Disney Co’s (NYSE:DIS) is also taking steps to combat Zika virus at its Disney World theme park in Orlando, Fla. It isn’t mentioning the virus by name, but is offering free mosquito repellent to visitors. International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) is also trying to better understand the virus by tracking its movements.
There are a few things that citizens living in the United States should know about Zika virus as it starts spreading in the country. It’s also a good idea to keep an eye out for the symptoms of the virus. Even if they can be hard to spot.
