CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – Members of Congress from New Hampshire and a dozen other states are asking the Obama administration for emergency funding to investigate the cause of a mysterious illness that has killed about a half million bats.
The lawmakers say white nose syndrome has profound implications for public health, the environment and the economy.
The lawmakers are asking the Interior Department to help find the source of the illness and develop a cure.
There is no evidence that the fungus is a threat to humans, but the letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says the consequences could be serious since bats feed on insects, such as mosquitoes, which spread disease, and moths and beetles, which damage crops.
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