INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana has been awarded more than $3.6 million to help fight the Zika virus.
Some of the money will be used to conduct mosquito surveillance and testing, support mosquito control and increase awareness of the virus. About $2 million of it will be used to fund a program manager to oversee microcephaly tracking in Indiana and nurses who will conduct case reviews for any infants identified with microcephaly.
Microcephaly is a condition where a baby's head is much smaller than it should be, and has been linked to Zika.
The money will come to Indiana throughout the next five years.
The Centers for Disease Control awarded the money to the Indiana State Department of Health.
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The health department recommends people from Indiana protect themselves from Zika by doing the following:
- When possible, avoid places and times when mosquitoes bite.
- Use insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), or IR3535.
- Cover exposed skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks and hats.
- Stay and sleep in screened or air-conditioned rooms. Ensure all screens are in good repair.
- Use a bed net if the area where you are sleeping is exposed to the outdoors.
- Use permethrin-treated clothing and gear.
- Eliminate standing water in and around homes and ensure that water is removed weekly from potential breeding grounds, such as tires, buckets, pet bowls, birdbaths and flower pots. Even a bottle cap can hold enough water to act as a mosquito breeding ground.
- Repair cracks or gaps in septic tanks and cover open vents or plumbing pipes.
MORE RESOURCES | Indiana State Department of Health | CDC Guidance on Zika
