The CDC has awarded the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust $13 million to develop the island's first Vector Control Unit. The unit will oversee comprehensive mosquito control efforts to combat the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses like Zika.
The VCU's mosquito control plan will include efforts to reduce standing water sources in which female mosquitoes lay their eggs, as well as implement the use of adulticides, larvicides and mosquito traps.
"The ongoing Zika outbreak and previous outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases have highlighted the need for an integrated vector management approach to control Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Puerto Rico," said the CDC in a media statement.
More articles on the Zika virus:
4 suspected cases of Zika-related microcephaly in Thailand
Puerto Rico reports second death linked to Zika-related paralysis
Aerial spraying played key role in eliminating Zika mosquitoes from Miami's Wynwood neighborhood