Princeton Receives $2.4 Million Grant For Mosquito Research

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton University is receiving federal support as it researches why mosquitoes are attracted to humans. Princeton will receive a $2,430,000 federal grant for its research, U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker announced. The grant comes after three people in New Jersey were infected by the West Nile Virus.

“Because of the rainy summer we have been experiencing, New Jersey has become a haven for mosquitoes and the viruses they carry,” Menendez said. “This funding will help us get a better understanding of mosquito-borne infections, such as the West Nile Virus which has already infected several people in our state. It is important that we fully understand mosquitoes and the viruses they carry so we can work to aggressively prevent the spread of further diseases and protect all New Jerseyans.”

“This grant funding will help protect public health by supporting groundbreaking research at Princeton into the mosquito species responsible for spreading illnesses like Zika, Dengue, yellow fever, and West Nile virus, and may ultimately hold the key to preventing the transmission of these diseases,” Booker said.

Three New Jersey residents from Essex, Hudson and Hunterdon counties were hospitalized for an average of eight days after contracting West Nile Virus earlier this year. A total of 450 mosquito pools throughout the state have tested positive for the virus, compared to only 272 last year. Experts predict there will be a rise in mosquitoes carrying the virus due to the heavy rain falls and floods that the state has been experiencing lately.

Menendez has worked to try to prevent diseases from spreading by insects. In May, Menendez outlined efforts to help curb the spike of Lymes Disease in the state. During the Zike outbreak in 2016, he called on Congress to approve federal funding to respond to the growing health crisis.

See related: Tick And Mosquito Infections Surge In NJ, Elsewhere, CDC Says

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