Valley Officials Highlight the Need for Federal Funding for Zika Research

Press Release

Today, Rep. Jim Costa (D-Fresno), District Managers from Fresno Mosquito and Vector Control District and Fresno-Westside Mosquito Abatement, and Fresno and Madera County Public Health Officials joined the Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District to learn about its efforts to evaluate a new strategy to help control the mosquito that can transmit Zika virus. Male mosquitoes with Wolbachia, a bacterium found inside the cells of many insects, were flown in from Lexington, Kentucky and released to help control the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which can carry the Zika virus.

"San Joaquin Valley communities and researchers need Congress to pass legislation that would fund Zika response efforts and research so that they can continue educating the public and implementing new strategies, like the one we saw today, to control the Aedes aegypti mosquito which can transmit the Zika virus," said Rep. Jim Costa. "The National Institutes of Health is working to develop a Zika vaccine, and while Phase I has been completed, additional resources are necessary to complete Phase II. Clearly this is a serious public health concern and Congress must act and pass a bill that would provide funding for researchers, county public health departments and mosquito abatement districts in the Valley and throughout the nation to limit and ultimately stop the transmission of the Zika virus in the United States."

"The Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary transmitter of Zika virus, is now well established in areas of California's Central Valley," said Steve Mulligan, District Manager of the Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District. "To help us protect our residents, it is critical that federal funding be provided for surveillance and control of this mosquito, and ongoing funding is needed for the development and evaluation of novel mosquito control strategies."

"Collaboration is critical between Mosquito Abatement Districts, Public Health Departments, and the community to minimize the impact of Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases to the valley community," said David Luchini, Assistant Director of the Fresno County Department of Public Health.

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