California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday announced an additional emergency funding of 897,000 U.S. dollars to fight the West Nile Virus (WNV).
This is in addition to the 453,000 dollars in emergency funding the governor announced yesterday to fight the WNV.
The funding will be released immediately to assist in mosquito control efforts and the WNV surveillance throughout the state.
This emergency funding is authorized through the WNV emergency proclamation Schwarzenegger signed last week.
"With an unprecedented increase in the number of West Nile Virus cases nationwide this year, I want to be sure our local partners have the resources they need to fight this deadly virus," said Schwarzenegger.
"I will continue to work with local and state agencies to take proactive measures to protect Californians from this disease including providing additional funding as needed through my emergency powers as governor."
"This is also a reminder to all Californians to protect themselves against mosquito bites -- including getting rid of stagnant water, wearing insect repellent and staying inside during dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active," he added.
Since taking office, Governor Schwarzenegger has invested more than 15 million dollars to fight the WNV. The state deploys surveillance and detection technology to track specific areas of the WNV activity and alert local agencies so they can target their mosquito control activities.
The number of people infected with the WNV in California this year is about 46, three times higher than the same time last year. There have been 5 deaths in California due to the WNV.
Source: Xinhua
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