The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced that $25 million in extra redirected funding is available to help states and territories fight Zika virus, as Puerto Rico announced its first microcephaly case.
The allocation is on top of $60 million in redirected Zika funding announced earlier this year that was targeted to support building lab capacity, improving surveillance, boosting mosquito control, promoting blood supply safety, and contributing data to a pregnancy registry.
In a CDC statement today, Stephen Redd, MD, its director of preparedness and response, said the extra funding will help states and territories continue implementing their Zika preparedness plans but are only a temporary fix. "Without the full amount of requested emergency supplemental funding, many activities that need to start now are being delayed or may have to be stopped within months."
Funds target Aedes mosquito areas
Today's newly announced funding is targeted to 53 states, cities, and territories that are at risk for Zika outbreaks. Support will be awarded based on geographic locations of the two Aedes mosquitoes known to spread Zika, history of mosquito-borne outbreaks, and population.
The CDC said the funding will help jurisdictions rapidly identify and investigate local Zika outbreaks, coordinate response plans, and connect families to the community services they need.
Applications for today's announced $25 million in funding is due by Jun 13, with the money dispersed over the summer and through July 2017. For the earlier funding, health department have until May 27 to apply.
In February President Obama asked Congress for $1.9 billion in emergency funding to support the Zika virus battle. Progress has been stalled, however, by demands to use unspent Ebola response money. Yesterday bipartisan members of the Senate signaled the possibility of a bill that would provide $1.1 billion.
Republican members of the House, though, said said they'll unveil a measure next week that would provide significantly less than the Senate's amount, the Associated Press (AP) reported today.
In early April, federal officials shifted $589 million, most of it Ebola money, to critical Zika activities but pushed Congress to approve Obama's full $1.9 billion request to backfill the shifted funds.
Puerto Rico's first microcephaly case
Puerto Rico's health secretary today announced the US territory's first potentially Zika-linked microcephaly case, according to a separate AP story. Ana Rius, MD, said microcephaly was found on an ultrasound, and an unidentified woman turned the fetus over to US authorities. It's not clear if the woman miscarried or ended her pregnancy.
Rius said health officials were expecting microcephaly cases and urged women with any concerns about infection to see their health providers.
According to a CDC update yesterday, of 701 Zika cases in the US territories, most of them in Puerto Rico, 65 were in pregnant women.
See also:
May 13 CDC press release
May 13 AP funding story
Apr 6 CIDRAP News story "White House to shift Ebola funds for Zika response"
May 13 AP story on Puerto Rico's microcephaly case
May 12 CDC Zika case update
