The federal government is giving states nearly $60 million in extra funding to fight Zika, as health officials investigate the potential first case of mosquito transmission of the virus in Florida.
The funding allocation comes from more than $500 million the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention redirected from a fund marked for the Ebola virus. The Obama administration is under fire from Republicans for giving out only $112 million of the $589 million allocated back in April from the Ebola fund.
The CDC said Thursday that the nearly $60 million will go to boosting mosquito control and monitoring and boosting labs. It also will be used to help local health departments identify and investigate Zika cases.
Zika primarily spreads through mosquito bites. The U.S. has had more than 1,300 cases of Zika, but almost all have been from people who got it in a country where mosquitoes are spreading the virus.
So far, there have been no cases of someone getting the virus through a mosquito bite in the continental U.S. However, officials are investigating a case in Florida that could be the first mosquito transmission in the country.
Republicans criticized the CDC earlier this month, asking why only $112 million has been spent out of $589 million allocated for Zika in April. CDC officials have responded that using money within federal rules takes time and that most of that money will move this month and in August.
CDC Director Tom Frieden said he hopes Congress will “provide the additional resources we need to fully support the Zika response.”
Congress adjourned last week for the summer without approving a $1.1 billion funding package for Zika. The package passed the House but was stalled in the Senate by Democratic objections to riders stripping Planned Parenthood funding and lifting a ban on flying confederate flags at federal cemeteries.
