Now, in the face of a potential Zika crisis in Miami, we need to be at our best and do our best to quickly and decisively respond.
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Some are concerned about news that the Zika virus transmitted from mosquitoes turned up in parts of Miami, FL. The CDC has released maps showing that the species of mosquitoes known to carry the disease, Aedes aegypti (Yellow Fever mosquito) and Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito), range across much of the southern United States, including Virginia.
And the situation grew more dire Monday morning.
The Florida Department of Health has confirmed the first case of Zika Virus in Leon County.
What do we do now? There are 1,825 confirmed cases in 47 states and Washington D.C., and 5,548 confirmed cases in U.S. Territories, according to DHHS. Why this unsafe delay?
With local cases of Zika detected in Florida and travel expected to increase for the upcoming Olympics, the state health department deemed Texas to be on high alert for the virus on Wednesday.
“The mosquitoes in the traps all died which means it was effective and so we will follow up with a larvascide mission in a day or two”, he said.
“Congressional members should go back to Washington and approve additional funding before this becomes a full-blown problem”, Sen. “I think years of imposing barriers has negatively impacted and limited a lot of women’s access to care”, George said.
We could not agree more and commend him for his well-placed concern.
In February, Obama asked Congress for $1.9 billion in emergency funds to combat the Zika threat. That’s what did in the most recent attempt to secure funding. “Rather than advance the $1.1 billion in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Zika Response Appropriations Act, Senate Democrats have blocked the bill’s movement”.
Tomorrow, the Florida Department of Health and Leon County will initiate established protocols, which include canvassing the specific neighborhood the case was found in, as well as spraying and trapping mosquitos and informing residents of mitigation measures.
All that aside, it is clear the Zika virus has a foothold here in the United States.
The mothers had Zika during pregnancy after traveling overseas. Public health officials work to forestall Zika’s arrival on existing funds. Many Florida businesses depend heavily on tourism and the state’s economy could be hurt if potential visitors decide to stay away, he said. The delay is irresponsible.
The administration transferred $589 million from other programs ― primarily efforts to control Ebola ― but federal officials have warned repeatedly that cash for key Zika programs will expire this month.
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White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday that it’s up to Congress to pass the legislation so that more can be done.
