The State of Texas has been given a $5 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to combat the Zika virus.
The grant money is earmarked for the Public Health Preparedness and Response (PHPR) campaign and was awarded by Congress to increase public health preparedness and response funding to protect Americans from Zika virus infection.
The grant comes just days after the state confirmed four additional locally transmitted cases of Zika virus. State officials said the people were likely infected along the border, near Brownsville.
"Now that Texas has confirmed cases of local transmission of the Zika virus, this money will be crucial in our efforts to contain and combat further transmission of the virus," said Gov. Greg Abbott. "Texas has been at the forefront of developing and implementing the strongest possible Zika response plan and we will continue to work with our local and federal partners to ensure our communities have the tools they need to combat the Zika virus."
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has dedicated $18 million to combating the Zika virus and implementing the state's Preparedness and Response plan.
For more information, visit http://texaszika.org/
- Dress in long sleeves, pants when outside: For extra protection, spray thin clothing with repellent.
- DEET: Make sure this ingredient is in your insect repellent.
- Drain standing water in your yard and neighborhood: Mosquitoes can develop in any water stagnant for more than three days.
It has been recommended in the past that to avoid mosquito bites you should avoid being outdoors during Dusk and Dawn (the 4 Ds). While this is true for mosquitoes that commonly carry the West Nile virus, other types of mosquitoes that are more likely to carry Zika, dengue and chikungunya are active during the day. When outdoors, no matter what time of day, adjust your dress accordingly and wear insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus as your first line of defense against insect bites.
