Melissa Ross
The Hillary Clinton campaign is calling for quick action in Florida to prepare for the likelihood that the travel-related Zika virus will spread.
As recent reports indicate cases of the virus have been found in U.S. metropolitan areas in Florida and Texas, Clinton, in an email urges public health officials in the Sunshine State to move quickly.
“We must take action to address the spread of the Zika virus from South and Central America to the United States,” Clinton said. “President Obama and his administration are taking the right steps by urging calm and proposing a $1.8 billion plan to fight the virus, and I am encouraged that Florida has declared Zika a public health emergency. Mothers should not be crippled by fear that their children could be diagnosed with birth defects. The scientific community should act quickly to develop rapid testing to diagnose Zika, determine its connection to serious conditions, and find solutions to keep more children and families from suffering.”
Late last month, Clinton underscored the importance of health education, funding and research regarding Zika.
Two new cases of the virus were confirmed last week in the state by the Florida Department of Health. The additional cases were reported in Lee and Miami-Dade counties. The total number of reported cases in Florida is now 18.
Meanwhile, Gov. Rick Scott announced this week that later Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will hold a conference call and webinar with Florida hospital workers, including OB-GYNs, doctors and those who work with pregnant women, on how Zika is spread, its symptoms, treatments and proper precautions.
Much is still unknown about the mosquito-borne virus. Wednesday, CDC Director Thomas Frieden told a congressional committee that the number of U.S. Zika cases has risen and cautioned that if the virus takes root, it could spread as rapidly as the chikungunya virus did in 2014, when that disease, also carried by mosquitoes, crisscrossed Puerto Rico in less than a year.
When the Zika virus is contracted by pregnant women, it’s thought to be the cause of a birth defect characterized by an unusually small head and developmental problems. The World Health Organization declared the rapidly spreading virus a public health emergency, reflecting growing international concern.
