With more cases of the Zika virus piling up in the U.S., the federal government wants to kill more mosquitoes that spread the virus.
But the mosquito that spreads Zika is one tough critter.
The Obama administration wants $1.8 billion in emergency funding to combat Zika, which causes a mild illness but may be linked to the rare birth defect microcephaly. That funding includes $828 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If approved by Congress, the CDC will use the money in part to do a better job of finding and killing mosquitoes in Zika-affected areas, the White House has said.
The Zika virus primarily spreads through mosquito bites, and that means reducing mosquito populations is critical, CDC Director Tom Frieden said during a hearing of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The CDC would use the money to create rapid response teams to limit “potential clusters for Zika virus,” the White House said.
This fight isn’t new to the federal government, as it has tackled other mosquito-borne viruses, such as West Nile.
The CDC monitors the potential sources of an outbreak and then coordinates with local and state health departments on mosquito control, which usually involves spraying affected areas with insecticide.
The Environmental Protection Agency offers advice on which insect repellents are good to use and won’t harm the environment.
“EPA encourages nonchemical mosquito prevention efforts, such as eliminating standing water that provide breeding sites,” according to a statement on the agency’s website.
Frieden said the CDC is talking with the EPA to determine the safest spray to use.
He added that if the funding is cleared, the CDC would issue grants to southern states to help them control the mosquito population.
A major challenge, though, is the type of mosquito that is spreading Zika. The Aedes mosquito can spread the virus very quickly by biting up to four people a day.
It also exists primarily indoors, which makes outdoor spraying mostly useless. The mosquito also can breed in very small pools of standing water, unlike other breeds that need more water to procreate, Frieden said.
Frieden told Congress that rigorous surveillance of the mosquito is needed, including what types of insecticides they are resistant to.
So far Zika has not spread via a mosquito bite in the U.S., but the CDC has said to expect “limited outbreaks.”
Almost all of the cases have derived from someone who traveled to a country where Zika is spreading. The only case in which Zika spread locally is of a woman who had sex with someone who was infected.
To be sure, the CDC isn’t only targeting mosquitoes. The agency wants to develop a faster test to determine if someone has the virus.
But first Congress must approve the funding. Some GOP lawmakers have chafed at authorizing new Zika funding. They say that more than $1 billion in funding for the Ebola outbreak could be used.
Relying on that funding would be a mistake, since it will be used to help prepare for a future Ebola outbreak, said Sylvia Burwell, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, during a recent Senate hearing.
