Zika’s coming, and there’s not enough money for another health emergency

WASHINGTON — Less than two years after the Ebola epidemic set off a scramble for money to contain that deadly virus, state and local health officials around the country are rushing to prepare for Zika outbreaks this spring and summer.

But after years of declining funds, many are coming up short.

Government investment in public health has been declining for years. So too has the nation’s public health workforce, which is almost 20 percent smaller than it was in 2008, according to health authorities.

Now, with the second threat of a major disease outbreak in three years, America’s public health agencies — and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — are again begging for aid.