The US Department of Defense announced that it is providing $1.76 million in additional funding to military laboratories to expand Zika virus surveillance worldwide and assess the virus’ impact on deployed service members’ health and readiness.
The enhanced Zika virus surveillance will involve 10 projects in 18 countries and territories by four lab partners based in the United States and five located overseas.
The labs receiving more Zika virus funds are part of the GEIS integrated worldwide emerging infectious disease surveillance network that includes core Army or Navy medical research labs in Egypt, Georgia, Kenya, Peru, Thailand, Cambodia and Singapore, and Army, Navy and Air Force labs in the United States, working in more than 60 countries around the world.
Recently, the US Department of State (DOS) has issued a notice stating that it has determined that an international outbreak of the Zika virus is sustained, severe, and is spreading internationally, and that it is in the national interest to respond to the related Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
