“Our local, state and territorial health departments are on the front lines in the fight against Zika, and though the necessary funding that is needed isn’t yet available, we can not wait to provide this essential support”, said Dr. Tom Frieden, CDC director, in a statement.
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The CDC is working with Florida health officials to investigate what could be the first Zika infection from a mosquito in the continental United States.
The money will go toward studying the disease, improving mosquito control and participation in a registry to monitor pregnant Zika-infected women and their babies.
In addition to mosquitoes, the Zika virus can be transmitted through sex.
The CDC has come up with almost $60 million to divide between states and territories for local Zika efforts, but its officials also stressed that more money is crucial to expand mosquito-control efforts, improve the ability to quickly diagnose Zika and develop a vaccine.
The Obama administration has asked Congress to appropriate roughly $2 billion in Zika funding. Serious birth defect microcephaly is an outcome of the infection.
The son has recovered, but because his infection didn’t involve travel or sex, his case raises more questions about how the virus might spread. They didn’t have sexual contact, which is how the virus is typically spread between adults when there’s no mosquito bite or mother-to-child transmission.
The patient, a 27-year-old man in France, came down with mild symptoms – weakness, muscle pain and conjunctivitis – shortly after returning from Thailand late last year. There is now no vaccine or treatment for Zika. But during recent outbreaks in Latin America, scientists discovered that infection during pregnancy has led to severe brain-related birth defects. The virus also has been connected to Guillain-Barré, a rare syndrome that can cause temporary paralysis. It is a first-of-its-kind health threat.
$30 million for foodborne disease tracking, investigation and prevention, including approximately $12million from the Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative that will ensure every state will be able to acquire whole genome sequencing equipment. This also includes increased support for the PulseNet and OutbreakNet systems and for the Integrated Food Safety Centers of Excellence as well as continued support for the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS).
More than $7 million to establish and maintain local, state, and territorial health coordinators to track vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and pertussis.
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For more information on CDC’s ELC Cooperative Agreement and the breakdown of FY16 funding, please visit the ELC webpage.
