WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp announced over $1 million in federal funding to help prepare and respond to potential infectious disease in North Dakota and aid in their elimination in other nations before they become problems in the United States.

“The potential spread of diseases in North Dakota could have devastating impacts on our families, communities, and economies,” said Heitkamp. “Taking the time and resources needed to prepare hospitals for any potential outbreak and working to eliminate diseases such as malaria in foreign countries will help save lives, improve health, and better understand how to handle such catastrophes if they were to come to the U.S. The federal funding made available today will help regional hospitals prepare and respond to potential outbreaks and help other countries fight malaria before it becomes our problem here at home.”

The federal funds are made available by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and are distributed as follows:

North Dakota State Department of Health - $1,043,098 in federal funding to help prepare regional hospitals and respond to a potential Ebola outbreak. The federal funds are made available through the Hospital Prepared Program at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.

University of North Dakota - $139,000 in federal funding to support the study of veterinary medicine for livestock to help eliminate malaria in Central America. The federal funds are made available through the Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation Research program at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.