Virginia Tech has received a $611,861 research grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support studies on Aedes aegypti, a mosquito species known for transmitting yellow fever and Zika virus. The announcement was made by U.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA).
“The ‘yellow fever’ mosquito lives in many areas of the United States, including Virginia and the greater South. It also affects many countries in Latin America.
“This HHS grant for more than $610,000 helps Virginia Tech develop greater knowledge of a mosquito that transmits yellow fever and Zika virus,” said Griffith.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is responsible for awarding this HHS grant.
Congressman Griffith has previously announced other HHS grants awarded to Virginia Tech, including funding for cancer research in July and additional research grants in August.
Morgan Griffith currently serves as the U.S. Representative for Virginia’s 9th district after succeeding Rick Boucher in 2011 (https://griffith.house.gov/biography/). Before his time in Congress, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2000 to 2010 (https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/G000568). Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1958, Griffith resides in Salem at age 65. He graduated from Emory and Henry College with a BA in 1980 and earned his JD from Washington and Lee University in 1983.
