Amid Zika concerns, McCrory would restore mosquito-control funding

UPDATED Eliminating the state’s mosquito-control programs doesn’t seem like such a good idea, now that there are concerns over the spread of the Zika virus.

A mosquito-tracking program was unfunded in 2011, under Gov. Bev Perdue’s administration, as lawmakers looked for savings. A grant program that paid for counties’ mosquito spraying was defunded in 2014, under Gov. Pat McCrory’s administration.

Now the McCrory administration is proposing to restore $750,000 annually to resume the surveillance program.

That would pay for education and detection efforts, financial aid to counties and four fulltime positions three entomologists and one lab workers -- to control mosquito- and other pest-borne diseases.

There have been 11 reported cases of Zika in North Carolina, all involving people who traveled out of the country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a nationwide decrease in arbovirus disease programs.

A previous version of this post was unclear about what programs were defunded and when.

This story was originally published April 27, 2016 at 3:55 PM with the headline "Amid Zika concerns, McCrory would restore mosquito-control funding."