"Without Federal Funding, Counties Brace To Confront Zika On Their Own"

"Communities across the country are preparing for the arrival of the Zika virus, but they aren’t preparing equally.

One county is ready to leap into action with a fleet of helicopters and planes to spray for disease-transmitting mosquitoes. Others facing a similar risk of the disease can’t afford much more than educational coloring books. Some localities have signed up private contractors to wage war on disease-carrying mosquitoes. For others, the only line of defense is an overworked parks employee responsible for all kinds of maintenance — “Chuck in the truck,” as one expert put it.

As the mosquito season kicks into full swing, the story playing out across the country is one of haves and have-nots. With no aid in sight from the federal government, local officials are preparing as best they can for the possibility that Zika could soon spread within the United States. But the task has fallen to a patchwork of state and local programs that have a huge disparity in financial resources and manpower. "

Brady Dennis and Lena H. Sun report for the Washington Post June 25, 2016.
 
SEE ALSO:

"Senate to Take Up House Bill on Zika Funding, Barbs and All" (New York Times)