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This Charity Is Handing Out Zika Prevention Kits To Homeless

"Every year I run into a family sleeping in a park, or in the woods. They’ve all complained about bug bites, and now with Zika, the risk is even higher.”
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By 

Reporter, HuffPost

One nonprofit is making sure some of the most vulnerable members of the community are protected from the Zika virus.

On Monday, Metropolitan Ministries in Tampa, Florida began giving out about 150 Zika-prevention kits to homeless individuals, according to Fox News. The kits will help protect homeless families from the mosquito-borne virus by providing them with a net, bug spray, and tablets to put in standing water, reports WFLA.

“Hundreds of homeless families across Tampa Bay are living in their cars, tents and in the woods in this extreme summer heat,” a Metropolitan Ministries blog states. "The Zika virus is a new threat to the area. For little children, and expectant mothers, these conditions are dangerous. It’s not uncommon for us to see homeless children and parents covered in bug bites.”

Florida has the second highest rate of Zika cases in the country, with 162 cases as of June 22, according to the CDC. In February, the governor declared Zika a health emergency in several counties, including Tampa’s Hillsborough County.

People living in poverty are particularly vulnerable to Zika, according to the Washington Post, as many live without air conditioning or proper window screens.

For those who are homeless and living outdoors, the situation is exacerbated:

“I’ve been in Florida for 10 years and every year I run into a family sleeping in a park, or in the woods,” Metropolitan Ministries President Tim Marks told WFLA. “They’ve all complained about bug bites, and now with Zika, the risk is even higher.”

In the Tampa area, there were more than 1,800 homeless individuals counted in 2016, according to the Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative. Statewide, that figure rises to 35,964 homeless people, according to the Council on Homelessness.

The worst part is that some areas of Florida reported that 90 percent or more of homeless individuals were unsheltered last year, according to HUD, which would leave them particularly vulnerable to the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

While in most cases, Zika only causes mild symptoms, such as fever or rash, for pregnant women the outcomes can be dramatic: The virus has been found to cause serious birth defects in newborns, including microcephaly, which can lead to intellectual disabilities and developmental delays in children.

Metropolitan Ministries will be handing out the Zika-prevention kits from their outreach center in Tampa, according to Fox News. 

To help protect more homeless families from Zika, you can donate a kit here.

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Before You Go

Zika Virus In Brazil
(01 of08)
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In Oct. 2015, Brazil alerted the World Health Organization to a sharp increases of babies born with microcephaly, a birth defect in which babies' heads are abnormally small.

A 4-month-old baby born with microcephaly is held by his mother in front of their house in Olinda, near Recife, Brazil, February 11, 2016. (credit:Nacho Doce / Reuters)
(02 of08)
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Health officials in Brazil suspected that the sharp rise in microcephaly was linked to the country's ongoing Zika virus outbreak -- a mild, mosquito-borne disease that is estimated to have infected as many as 1.5 million people in Brazil.

Physiotherapist Jeime Lara Leal exercises 19-day-old Sophia, who is Ianka Mikaelle Barbosa's second child and was born with microcephaly, at Pedro l Hospital in Campina Grande, Brazil February 18, 2016. (credit:Ricardo Moraes / Reuters)
(03 of08)
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Brazilian health officials soon advised women to delay pregnancy if possible, to prevent microcephaly cases. While they say the link between the two conditions is clear, WHO and other authorities say more research needs to be done before confirming the connection.

Jackeline, 26, uses a green bottle to stimulate to her son Daniel who is 4-months old and born with microcephaly, inside of their house in Olinda, near Recife, Brazil, February 11, 2016. (credit:Nacho Doce / Reuters)
(04 of08)
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The zika virus was first identified in Africa, spread to parts of Asia and then reached the Americas in 2014, researchers suspect. The Aedes mosquito carries the disease.

An aedes aegypti mosquito is seen inside a test tube as part of a research on preventing the spread of the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases at a control and prevention center in Guadalupe, neighbouring Monterrey, Mexico, March 8, 2016. (credit:Daniel Becerril / Reuters)
(05 of08)
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Researchers suspect that the Zika virus is also linked to the spike of a rare, autoimmune disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome that can result in temporary paralysis.

A lab technician analyses blood samples at the 'Sangue Bom' (Good Blood) clinic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on January 25, 2016. (credit:VANDERLEI ALMEIDA via Getty Images)
(06 of08)
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There is no cure or vaccine for Zika virus. The most reliable way to prevent transmission is to destroy the mosquitos that carry it.

Joseph Blackman, a Miami-Dade County mosquito control inspector, uses a sprayer filled with a pesticide in an attempt to kill mosquitos that are carrying the Zika virus on October 14, 2016 in Miami, Florida. (credit:Joe Raedle via Getty Images)
(07 of08)
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Zika virus is now endemic in dozens of countries and territories. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel warning to all Americans, and pregnant women in particular, to follow strict guidelines in preventing mosquito bites when traveling to these areas. Pregnant women were also advised to delay travel if possible, while women who want to become pregnant were advised to speak with their healthcare providers before traveling.

An employee of the Health Ministry sprays anti-mosquito fog in an attempt to control dengue fever at a neighborhood in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photo by Risa Krisadhi/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images) (credit:Pacific Press via Getty Images)
(08 of08)
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Several research institutes and companies are now trying to figure out how to create a vaccine for Zika virus. However, it will be years before anyone develops a reliable vaccine, researchers predict.

A nurse from the FioCruz Foundation applies the dengue vaccine to social worker Ana Paula Rocha, 41, who volunteered for the vaccine tests. (credit:NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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