Housing managers help contain community infections

Puerto Rico has confirmed more than 34,000 persons infected with Zika, a virus spread via mosquito bites, since it was first detected on the island in November 2015. Although the number of new cases now has dropped to a little more than 200 per week from the peak of 2,000 in August, the risk of transmission continues.


 
Puerto Rico Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) stepped up to the challenge and has been offering education and outreach, particularly in the Tras Talleres area of San Juan, since the summer of 2016. Its goal is to prevent new cases from occurring and urge those at highest risk to seek medical attention.
 
Tras Talleres is a small community situated between tourist hotels and a wealthy area. Most of the people who live there are poor, the homes are older and many streets are in disrepair. That's why it is the focus of Puerto Rico NHS and its housing rehabilitation and community engagement work, which is starting to have a positive impact.

"The community is starting to care more about what happens there," says Blanca Vélez Beauchamp, executive director.
 
Using literature from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as materials developed themselves, NHS staff held several workshops and went door to door with volunteers to teach residents to:

• Make sure window screens are intact and without holes.
• Use air conditioning, when available.
• Wear pants and long-sleeved shirts.
• Use mosquito repellent.
• Clean up standing water.

The NHS staff also teach residents about personal behavior that can help them stay safe from the hazards of Zika. The organization already has reached several hundred people, and intends to keep going.
 
Velez Beauchamp is not just worried about pregnant women, although the danger is especially acute for them. Other vulnerable groups include the elderly and homeless. In addition, two of her staff members have contracted the Zika virus. Although home sick for just a few days, they continued to experience muscle aches and fatigue weeks later.

In October 2016, Vélez Beauchamp took a resident team from Tras Talleres to the NeighborWorks Community Leadership Institute. The team has painted a mural about Zika in the community garden and are planning a bicycle tour in March or April 2017, before the hot weather returns, to remind everyone, especially pregnant women, of the dangers.