Mosquito fighters start registry for pregnant women at risk for Zika
A confidential registry has been created for pregnant women throughout Monroe County to increase mosquito control efforts to battle the threat of the Zika virus.
READ MORE: Moms-to-be go extra mile to avoid Zika
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District and the Florida Keys Health Start Coalition created the Monroe County Pregnancy Registry and will use the confidential information to increase mosquito control efforts where registered women live should there be potential Zika activity nearby.
Those who register aren’t required to provide a name but if they do, the information is kept confidential.
Andrea Leal, director of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, told board members last week about the registry.
“We average about 800 births a year” countywide, she said.
Pregnant women who take part in the registry and provide an address will be notified of pesticide spraying nearby or if they are at heightened risk for Zika, which can cause severe fetal birth defects. Zika is passed by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also maintains a database of pregnant women, but it is exclusive to those with laboratory evidence of Zika virus infection or those who have infants exposed to the virus.
So far, there have been 878 reported cases of pregnant women infected with Zika nationwide, according to the CDC.
In Florida, there were 113 infected pregnant women as of Tuesday. The state Department of Health does not release information about cases of infected pregnant women in each county.
In total, Florida health officials have reported 1,058 Zika infections statewide this year, with 169 local infections and 752 travel-related cases (plus the pregnant women, plus 19 out-of-state residents, plus five undetermined). There have been five Zika cases in Monroe County, all travel related.
For more information about the registry, call Catherine Pruszynski at 305-292-7190, Ext. 160, or email her at cpruz@keysmosquito.org.
Katie Atkins: 305-440-3219
This story was originally published October 27, 2016 at 9:07 AM with the headline "Mosquito fighters start registry for pregnant women at risk for Zika."