Indiana receives nearly $300K in grants to fight Zika virus

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (AP) – Indiana is receiving nearly $300,000 in federal money to fight the spread of the Zika virus.

The News and Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2hz5LGL ) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced $184 million in grants for communities across the U.S.

Indiana will get $200,000 for information gathering and rapid detection of microcephaly. The brain defect may occur when a mother is infected with Zika while pregnant. Babies with the defect have small skulls because the brain hasn’t property developed.

The state is getting another $84,000 for mosquito testing and to improve mosquito control and monitoring.

Zika is spread through a bite of an infected mosquito or through unprotected sex with an infected person.

Complications to unborn fetuses due to microcephaly have been among the greatest concerns for the disease.

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Information from: News and Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind., http://www.newsandtribune.com