Garcia recently authorized the use of Bti, an organic larvicide, to fight the spread of Zika after rejecting aerial spraying with the insecticide naled as proposed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said in a statement that the Zika funding impasse “never should have gotten to this point”.
Michelle Davis, the health commissioner, said in the statement that “it has been 33 weeks since the first Zika case was confirmed in the USVI”. It believes the actual number of infections is likely higher because most people with Zika have no symptoms and might not seek testing.
Two people have died from complications of the virus and 90 were hospitalized, according to Puerto Rico’s department of health.
Although many areas of the US have the type of mosquito that can become infected with and spread Zika, there have been no reported Zika cases contracted from a mosquito bite in Missouri, according to Clay County health officials.
While the Miami-Dade School District reacts to the Zika cases and threat in South Florida, Gov. Rick Scott is calling for preparedness for all public schools, colleges and universities.
And unlike in other parts of the world, it’s likely that Zika virus will spread slowly and remain relatively contained in the USA because of better mosquito control, better housing, more common use of air conditioning and use of screens on windows and doors.
Pregnant women are particularly urged to protect themselves against Zika because it raises the risk of birth defects including microcephaly, in which infants are born with small heads and malformed brains.
Until this week however, there had been no reported cases of birth defects related to Zika in Canada.
The World Health Organization included the occurrence of “congenital malformation associated with a travel-related case of Zika virus infection” in its weekly Zika update.
Fauci said the health secretary has the authority to transfer 1 percent of NIH’s $33 billion budget per year from one Institute to the other.
The Obama administration said Thursday that it will transfer $81 million from existing federal health programs so there’s enough money to continue trials of a Zika vaccine.
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On Thursday Burwell said that the shifting of funds was a last-ditch effort. “Congress should have passed additional funding months ago”.
