California will receive $3.6 million over five years from the federal government to track babies born in the state with microcephaly, a birth defect caused by the Zika virus.
The money, the first installment of which comes this week, is part of $16 million awarded by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to states most at risk from the mosquito-borne virus.
A map released by the CDC this year shows that the mosquito that carries Zika is present in more than half the nation. More than 430 people have tested positive for the virus in the United States, though almost all of them tested positive after traveling in Latin American and Caribbean countries, where the virus is more active.
But local transmissions have been reported in Florida, where 15 people from a Miami neighborhood have tested positive for the virus. Travel warnings for pregnant women and couples who would like to get pregnant in the immediate future have been issued for that area.
The CDC’s funding is an acknowledgment by federal health experts that Zika’s spread is inevitable.
“It is critical to identify infants with birth defects related to Zika virus so we can support them and their families,” CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said in a statement. “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 this virus.”
As of Friday, 114 travel-associated Zika virus infections have been reported in California since 2015, according to the state’s Department of Public Health.
No local transmissions have been reported in California.
The number of Zika cases is expected to increase among travelers this summer because of outbreaks in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brazil and other countries.
In addition, the mosquito that can transmit the virus is present in Southern California.
The insect is related to the Asian tiger mosquito, which is also active in the region. Both thrive in the daytime.
Like West Nile virus, Zika is transmitted primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito.
The virus also can be transmitted from a mother to her baby during pregnancy or around the time of birth.
Scientists have confirmed that Zika can cause birth defects. Symptoms include acute onset of fever, a flat red rash and joint pain.
Although death is rare, 1 out of 5 people infected with the Zika virus can become very ill, according to the CDC.
Though it is a mosquito-borne virus, Zika also is found in the semen of infected men and can be transmitted to sexual partners, health officials said.
The money from the CDC was diverted from other public health resources until additional Zika funds are approved by Congress, federal health officials said.