Infectious diseases

Zika virus outbreak (2016)

A member of the virus family Flaviviridae, Zika virus (ZIKV) is spread by daytime-active Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Zika virus is related to the Dengue, Yellow Fever, Encephalitis, and West Nile viruses. Since the 1950s, it has been known to occur within a narrow equatorial belt from Africa to Asia. From 2007 to 2016, the virus spread eastward, across the Pacific Ocean to the Americas, leading to the 2015–16 Zika virus epidemic.

On January 18, 2017, CMS announced $66.1 million in funding to health departments in American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Florida to help combat the Zika virus. (PDF)

The links below provide information on the Health and Human Services (HHS) Public Health Emergency Declaration and its subsequent renewal.  Additional information on the ZIKV is found in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) link, found in the Related Link section. 

• November 4, 2016: Renewal of determination that a Public Health Emergency exists
• January 31, 2017:  Determination that a Public Health Emergency exists in Puerto Rico as a consequence of the Zika Virus outbreak