On Wednesday, an aerial spraying campaign aimed at Zika-carrying mosquitoes was launched over a 10-mile area in Florida, including the one-square-mile swath of land north of downtown Miami that has been identified as the nucleus of local Zika transmission in the state, according to Reuters. There have been 15 cases of local transmission reported in the state as of Tuesday.
On Monday, the CDC issued an unprecedented travel warning advising pregnant women or those planning to become pregnant to avoid traveling to the Miami neighborhood with active local Zika transmission.
According to Reuters, Tom Frieden, MD, CDC director, expressed concern during a conference call that mosquito control measures in the area have not been as effective as hoped.
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One of the insecticides being deployed in the aerial campaign is Naled. Naled has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency and has reportedly been used widely in the Southern U.S. to control mosquito populations.
The CDC recommended Naled for an aerial spraying campaign in Puerto Rico, where nearly 700 pregnant women have been infected with Zika and the epidemic continues to worsen. The agency backed away from the campaign after it was met with disapproval from the island's governor who cited worries about the insecticide's safety.
Health officials from Miami-Dade recommended that those with known allergies remain indoors during the spraying campaign. No additional special precautions have been suggested.
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