Five Florida counties are under a state of emergency. With new cases of Zika appearing, pregnant women across the state have questions.
It's a troubling topic for thousands who travel to and from Latin America.
El-Salvadore native Ana Presidente is 9 months pregnant.
“[I’m] very excited,” Ana told us in Spanish. “[I] was hoping for a girl.”
Like any mom-to-be she’s taking care of both herself and her little boy on the way.
“[I’m] trying to stay on top of health and clinic appointments,” said Ana.
This week she heard about the Zika virus and the public health emergency declared in five Florida counties. Two of them are next to Palm Beach County: Broward and Miami-Dade Counties.
“[My] due date is coming up and [I’m] scared to have my baby exposed to this virus,” said Ana.
The 32-year-old relies on the Guatemalan-Maya center in Lake Worth for guidance and help navigating the American system. Today, staff declared educating the public about the Zika virus a top priority.
“I felt that we need to promote it more, especially in the Mayan and Hispanic communities because they're the ones that probably can be more vulnerable because they don't see the news,” said Micaela Martin, an outreach worker at the center.
They made posters informing anyone who’s pregnant or traveling to areas of concern to be aware of symptoms. They include a fever, rash and headache.
“If people don't see it they think there's nothing going on,” said Micaela. “If we can see it and prevent it we could prevent this [virus] from happening.”
No cases have been reported in Palm Beach County.
