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CDC Awards Texas $5 Million To Fight Zika

Wendy Rigby
/
Texas Public Radio
The first case of Zika acquired by a local mosquito in Texas was in Brownsville. Health workers went door to door to inform people in the neighborhood about the risk.

Now that Brownsville has confirmed local cases of Zika , the federal government is sending more money to the Texas to help control further spread of the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control has awarded Texas a five million dollar grant. That money will be used to combat Zika in the Lone Star State. The grant is for Public Preparedness and Response.

  

Two weeks ago, Texas announced the first suspected case of the Zika virus acquired by a local mosquito in Brownsville. Cameron County health workers went door to door to alert the neighborhood and take urine samples.

Last week, four more cases of Zika were confirmed in that same southwest side Brownsville neighborhood

“Texas has been at the forefront of developing and implementing the strongest possible Zika response plan," said Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

The Texas Department of State Health Services has already dedicated 18 million dollars to combating Zika, an illness new to the U-S that can cause severe deformities in unborn babies of infected mothers.

Wendy Rigby is a San Antonio native who has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. She spent two decades at KENS-TV covering health and medical news. Now, she brings her considerable background, experience and passion to Texas Public Radio.