MIAMI (AP) – Mosquitoes bite everyone, not just Haitians. It’s a point health educator Marie-Jose Ledan is sure to make when she approaches Little Haiti’s churches, laundromats and mom-and-pop businesses about protecting people from the Zika virus.
That seems obvious, but many in Miami’s newest Zika “hot zone” bitterly remember what happened the last time health officials linked a devastating virus to this community: Discrimination and recrimination against Haitians continued for years after the federal government wrongly listed being Haitian as a risk factor for HIV and AIDS.
“That’s why we have to be careful so our sisters and brothers do not think they are targeted, just like with the AIDS virus,” said Ledan, who has been distributing educational materials about Zika in Little Haiti over the last two months.
Authorities in Florida went into damage-control mode when Zika-carrying mosquitoes began biting in the Miami area this summer. Many feared the economy would suffer as pregnant women were warned to avoid the Wynwood art district and touristy South Beach.
With those areas cleared, this third “hot zone” is generating less buzz. It straddles the city’s poorest communities, heavily black Little Haiti and Liberty City. Here, Zika joins a long list of concerns among people who already feel neglected, and advocates say containing its spread will take finesse.