“Congress needs to pass the president’s request for an additional $1.9 billion to stop this virus before it’s too late”.
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Homeowners can purchase their own sprays if they are concerned about the virus, Ortez said.
“We stress every year the need for residents to eliminate any mosquito breeding grounds on their property”, said Laurain referring to flower pots, old tires, vases or other small vessels where water can pool.
According to officials, $510 million of Ebola funds and $79 million of miscellaneous funds will be diverted toward efforts to limit the spread of Zika.
“There are real consequences and risks in waiting”, Donovan said. But Republicans in Congress balked at the idea of appropriating that extra money.
Action on a stand-alone emergency spending bill is virtually impossible in the bitterly partisan atmosphere in Washington, though such funding could be attached to larger legislation later in the year. In 2014, Congress approved $5 billion for fighting Ebola.
“These efforts can’t be stopped or shortchanged”, said Sylvia Mathews Burwell, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Other problems such as hearing deficits and impaired growth have also been reported among babies who were affected with Zika before birth. In most cases, people contracted the virus while traveling. Not only are many of them pregnant women, but many are men who can carry the virus back and infect a pregnant wife or partner. For example, without supplemental funding, testing and manufacturing of vaccine candidates beyond the earliest stages of clinical trials would not be possible.
“We know the steps we need to take, and we need to take them now”, Burwell said. She said there was one confirmed case of Zika-related microcephaly in Hawaii. But they believe there will likely be local transmission in the continental United States in the coming months. “We can not wait for the fall”.
Health officials say the disease is most commonly spread through infected mosquitos, but there’s evidence the disease can also be transmitted through sexual intercourse. “I think we’re going to continue to talk about what we’re going to do to get us to a better place in the future”.
Florida Mosquito Control Districts participated in the call.
“We face two global health challenges, Ebola and Zika, and we don’t have an option to set one aside in the name of the other”, Burwell told reporters.
Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who oversees State Department funding, said the administration told him the re-programmed $589 million “ought to cover it”.
Last week, a woman in Liberia died of Ebola.
Lyskowski said he expects to see more cases in Missouri, but it’s not a cause for alarm.
“Puerto Rico is on the front lines of the battle against Zika”, said CDC head Tom Frieden to the media last month.
Urging Congress to act immediately, Donovan said, “We should not play with fire here”.
The federal government isn’t doing enough to tackle the problem, he added.
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With the threat of Ebola largely in the past, the Obama administration will transfer the leftover funds to help fight the Zika virus.
