WASHINGTON — Less than two years after the Ebola epidemic set off a scramble for money to contain that deadly virus, state and local health officials around the country are rushing to prepare for Zika outbreaks this spring and summer.
But after years of declining funds, many are coming up short.
Government investment in public health has been declining for years. So too has the nation’s public health workforce, which is almost 20 percent smaller than it was in 2008, according to health authorities.
Now, with the second threat of a major disease outbreak in three years, America’s public health agencies – and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – are again begging for aid.
“It’s no way to respond to an emergency,” said Jeffrey Levi, a public health expert at George Washington University and former head of the nonprofit Trust for America’s Health.
Last month, CDC officials warned that Zika outbreaks could be expected this summer across much of the United States. In Puerto Rico, where hundreds of cases have been reported, “hundreds of thousands” could end up infected, agency officials said.
The disease is spread primarily by mosquitoes, although it can also be transmitted sexually. Many people who contract the virus will not get sick, but the virus is more dangerous to pregnant women as it has been linked to brain abnormalities in newborns, including a small head, known as microcephaly.
Congressional Republicans have rejected requests from President Obama for $1.9 billion in new money for Zika, arguing that the administration should use funds that were appropriated to fight Ebola.
Last month, the administration began shifting about $600 million in Ebola funding.
Meanwhile, state and local public health offices are juggling other tasks, including containing measles and tuberculosis; and targeting tobacco and diabetes.
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