Oregon was awarded $632,654 from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to fight the Zika virus.
The CDC is awarding $60 million altogether to help states and territories battle Zika, which has been linked to the serious birth defect microcephaly.
The funding is geared to support activities that support public health, especially pregnant women, and improving mosquito control and monitoring and strengthening laboratory capacity, according to the CDC’s announcement.
There is currently no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is spread primarily through the bit of an infected mosquito but can be spread through sex. While often asymptomatic, Zika infection during pregnancy may cause microcephaly and other severe brain defects in the developing fetus. It’s also been linked to Guilain-Barre syndrome.
The Obama Administration has also requested $1.9 billion to combat Zika but the budget hasn’t been approved by Congress.