Arkansas to receive $1.3M to fight Zika

CDC funds aid disease research

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will give Arkansas $̶5̶.̶6̶ ̶m̶i̶l̶l̶i̶o̶n̶ $1.3 million* to help the state fight the Zika virus.

The money is Arkansas' part of the $60 million the center is giving to states, cities and territories to battle the virus through increased research efforts, laboratory improvement and improving mosquito control, according to a news release sent Thursday.

It also will encourage participation on the U.S. Zika Pregnancy Registry, which state and local health departments can participate in to help provide data on and identify pregnant women who have the virus.

The Arkansas Department of Health is developing its plan for how to use the money locally, public information officer Meg Mirivel said Thursday.

This is the second round of funding for Zika research and prevention this month. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention divided $25 million between states, cities and territories July 1, according to the release.

The money comes from the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases Cooperative Agreement. Last year, the cooperative awarded $110 million for research and prevention of infectious disease. This year's amount was $240 million. It was increased for Zika research and to fight antibiotic resistance, according to the news release.

The Zika virus is spread through mosquito bites and sexual transmission. Symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and itchy eyes. Symptoms usually last up to a week, according to the Arkansas Department of Health website.

There is no known cure or immunization.

Unborn children are at risk if their mothers contracts the virus because such children could develop microcephaly, a disease that can cause brain defects, eye defects, hearing loss and impaired growth, according to the CDC website.

The center plans to distribute $10 million to identify instances of microcephaly more quickly and to get infants with the disease the appropriate medical treatment more quickly.

A rare nervous system disorder, Guillain-Barre syndrome, also has been linked to the virus. It can cause muscle weakness and paralysis. Five cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome have been reported in the United States since 2015, according to the center's website.

There have been 1,403 travel-associated cases of the virus reported in the United States since 2015. None have been acquired locally, according to the CDC's website.

Arkansas has seen less than 1 percent of the cases, with six travel-associated instances reported as of July 10, according to the state Health Department website.

President Barack Obama's administration has requested that $1.9 billion be designated to prevention of the virus, but Congress must approve the budget before that money can be used, according to the news release.

Metro on 07/22/2016

*CORRECTION: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will give Arkansas $1.3 million in its Zika fight. Because of incorrect information from the CDC, the amount was incorrect in this story.

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