KAILUA-KONA — Sen. Mazie Hirono announced Friday that the Hawaii Department of Health will be the recipient of $1.1 million in funding from the Centers for Disease Control to combat the Zika virus across the state.
According to a release from the Senator’s office, the money will be used to supplement education and vector control measures, as well as to strengthen lab testing capacity.
“These funds will allow us to support and enhance key Zika-related department programs to safeguard our state’s public health in the long run,” said Dr. Sarah Park, Hawaii State Epidemiologist. “In addition to building a greater capacity for disease investigation and laboratory testing, we’ll also be better able to support the mothers and babies who have been impacted by the effects of Zika.”
As of Dec. 14, there had been 16 reported cases of the virus in Hawaii, accounting for less than 1 percent of Zika cases nationwide, according to the CDC. None of those cases were locally acquired, but were instead all travel related.