Hillary Clinton will call on Congress to return to Washington and pass emergency funding for the Zika response during a visit to a Miami neighborhood dealing with the first US outbreak of the disease.
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Clinton on Monday urged the passage of the original Senate bill or a similar one that can earn bipartisan support.
Clinton’s campaign manager immediately denounced Trump’s remarks, suggesting he was inciting violence. “My opponent in this race his campaign officials have said that and I think that does a great disservice”.
On July 8, Zika was identified in a patient in Broward County, which is just north of Miami-Dade.
Microcephaly is a birth defect in which the baby is born with an abnormally large head.
While there haven’t been any confirmed cases of people contracting the virus in Texas, health officials say they are “on alert for the possibility of local transmission”. This is the first Zika-related death in Texas. The disease is more prevalent in Brazil. Officials say doctors should ask pregnant women about their travel and certain symptoms, and, if warranted, test them for an infection with the Zika virus.
Clinton’s visit comes as Republicans and Democrats spar over funding that is needed to continue the fight against Zika.
The first case of Zika was reported in Harris County last month. Tim Kaine, has said he’d return to Washington for a vote on a Zika virus bill.
Nurse Barbara Russell, who is director of infection control services at Baptist Hospital in Miami and member of Baptist Health’s System Emergency Preparedness Council, said it remains to be seen if mosquito-transmission of Zika will pop up in more and more Florida communities or will be contained. Writing in the Lexington Herald-Leader last week, he said lawmakers would deal with Zika funding after Labor Day when Congress is back in session.
On Monday, Clinton previewed that she would demand action from Congress on Zika. “Because Washington can not keep ignoring the needs of the families of Florida”.
As of right now, there is no vaccine for the Zika virus. Two infants in the state have been born with Zika-related microcephaly. Recently however, his stance regarding Zika infected children has been garnering special attention.
This comment comes in the midst of a political firestorm surrounding Zika prevention funding.
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The advisory came a week after USA health agencies warned against travel to the Florida neighbourhood and months after warning against travel to Brazil.
