Spraying In Zika Zone Has Parents Worried As School Starts
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WYNWOOD (CBSMiami) – Eneida M. Hartner Elementary is one of the six schools in Wynwood that are within the Zika impact zone, and the parents who have students enrolled there are worried.
"I am going to do everything I can do to protect my child so I am going to get long sleeves," said concerned parent Yolanda Delliva.
The health department is recommending dressing students in long sleeves and long pants. So for those families that need a little help with the cost, state funds are proving free support.
"Me being from the islands, I don't worry about it too much," said another parent, Ernest Antonio Gerard.
But he scored a pair of long pants and long sleeved shirts for his child, paid for by a state grant.
"They have given state funds of $10 per student to the district," said Lelany Barrea.
Zika 101: Prevent Spread By Protecting Yourself
But there is another worry, an issue popping up at a Wynwood private school.
Parents and employees at the Metropolitan International School claim the aerial spraying has caused irritations and sore throats.
Tatiana Ayale added, "We are having headaches and it all started when they started spraying."
The health department assures residents the spray is safe in the amount that is released. But moms are jittery.
"I am biking with him and it is 11 o'clock and all of a sudden I see the plane zipping right above us," said Claudia Bianci.
The school owner is OK with the spraying, just not when students are on their way to and from school. It's exactly what the Miami-Dade superintendent is saying as county schools open Monday.
"It would be most advisable that spraying, particularly in the area we are talking about in this square-mile area impacted, be avoided during those periods of time," said Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said.
Six schools in the are have been evaluated and treated including:
- Paul Laurence Dunbar Elementary
- Jose de Diego Middlle
- Eneida M. Hartner Elementary
- Phyllis Wheatley Elementary
- Design and Architecture Senior High
- Young Men's Preparatory Academy
Click here for more information on the Zika virus or here for more Zika-related stories.
