MIAMI – Officials in Miami-Dade County Public Schools are taking steps to protect students from the infamous Zika virus as they return to schools in two outbreak zones this week.

Florida Department of Health staff were at schools in identified transmission areas in two Miami neighborhoods when school started on Monday, distributing free bug spray as school officials handed out protective clothing for students in need, Fox News reports.

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In total, 6,000 students who attend nine public schools in two outbreak zones – in the Wynwood Arts District and Miami Beach area – are vulnerable to contracting the disease through mosquitoes. Another 4,300 students attend three charter schools in those areas, as well, a district spokeswoman told the news site.

Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine held a news conference on Friday to inform residents that city workers are doing their best to eliminate standing water where mosquitoes breed and that the county launched a fumigation effort to eradicate the bugs.

“Between our efforts and the county’s spraying efforts, the last thing I’d ever want to be on Miami Beach is a mosquito,” he said.

April Thompson-Williams, principal of Jose de Diego Middle School in the Wynwood Arts District, told NPR parents are concerned for their children and have a lot of questions about the virus.

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“They just want to know how to protect their children and to ensure that they’re safe when they come to school,” she said.

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Parent Nicole Pugh said she’s relying on school officials to keep her daughter, Jaynela, safe at school.

“Yeah, I worry about it,” she said. “But I made sure she was sprayed and everything. So hopefully, they’ll take care of the situation.”

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho toured schools in Miami’s transmission zones on Monday to remind students to wear bug repellent, as well as long sleeve shirts and pants.

“Every single school is air-conditioned. Every single bus is air-conditioned,” he said. “There is not contact with areas that have standing water. And kids are well-protected in air-conditioned areas. They’re going to be fine.”

Health officials have confirmed at least 36 cases of Zika virus transmitted by mosquitoes in the Wynwood Arts District and South Beach, which prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to advise pregnant women not to travel to that area.

The virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 and has since spread by mosquitoes and infected people to South America, then North America. The virus spreads by mosquitoes or through sexual intercourse. Many cases involve no or only mild symptoms that include a fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes, but it can trigger paralysis in some people.

The most immediate health concern centers on pregnant women, who can give birth to children with defects – such as a small head – if infected. There is no treatment for the virus, but it often resolves within days to weeks, according to the CDC website.

Officials with the National Institutes of Health believe the Zika virus will “hang around” for a year or two, and Gulf States are at the greatest threat in the near future.

“I would not be surprised if we see cases in Texas and Louisiana, particularly now where you have the situation with flooding in Louisiana,” NIH’s Anthony Fauci told ABC’s “This Week.” “There are going to be a lot of problems getting rid of standing water.”