Most major U.S. airlines and some cruise lines are allowing concerned customers change travel plans due to the Zika virus. (AP)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is awarding more than $16 million to 40 U.S. states and territories as they grapple with the effects of the Zika virus. The CDC said the funds will allow health departments to establish and maintain information-gathering systems to rapidly detect health issues associated with the virus such as microcephaly, a serious brain defect that occurs in infants whose mothers are infected.
In a news release, the CDC stated that the funding is also meant to help states and territories ensure that infants and their families are referred to appropriate health and social services while also enabling communities to monitor the health and developmental outcomes of children affected by Zika.
“It is critical to identify infants with birth defects related to Zika virus so we can support them and their families,” CDC director Tom Frieden said in the news release. “This CDC funding provides real-time data about the Zika epidemic as it unfolds in the United States and territories and will help those most devastated by the virus.”
The move comes a day after Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced the number of Zika cases likely spread by local mosquitoes had increased to 14. In response to Scott’s request for additional measures, the CDC sent an emergency response team to Florida and issued a travel warning for pregnant women and their partners to avoid a small community just north of downtown Miami.
The funds were allocated based on a state or territory’s risk of Zika virus transmission, population and availability of funds. The list of states and territories include:
Alabama Department of Health
American Samoa Department of Health
Arizona Department of Health
California Department of Public Health
Connecticut Department of Public Health
Florida Department of Health
Georgia Department of Public Health
Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services
Hawaii Department of Health
Illinois Department of Public Health
Indiana State Department of Health
(Iowa) University of Iowa
Kansas Department of Health and Environment
(Kentucky) Cabinet for Health and Family Services
Louisiana Office of Public Health
Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Minnesota Department of Health
Mississippi State Department of Health
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
New Jersey Department of Health
New Mexico Department of Health
New York State Department of Health/Health Research, Inc.
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
Northern Mariana - Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation
Ohio Department of Health
Oklahoma State Department of Health
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Puerto Rico Department of Health
Rhode Island Department of Health
South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control
Tennessee Department of Health
Texas Department of State Health Services
Utah Department of Health
Vermont Department of Health
Virgin Islands Department of Health
Virginia Department of Health
West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources
Wisconsin Department of Health Services
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