Lloyd Dunkelberger
With the attempted coup in Turkey, the aftermath of the massacre in Nice and the ascension of Mike Pence, Floridians might not have noticed that the state Department of Health on Friday reported 18 new cases of Zika, the highest one-day total since the state began tracking the mosquito-borne disease.
Zika cases in Florida have risen 32 percent in July alone, now totaling 311 infected individuals, including 43 pregnant women. The cases have tripled since the beginning of May.
Florida leads the nation in Zika cases and accounts for 24 percent of the 1,306 national total.
All the cases are travel-related, meaning individuals contract the disease outside the country and then travel to Florida and other U.S. states.
Manatee County drew its first Zika case Friday, prompting U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, who represents the area, to call it “a national disgrace” that Congress has adjourned for a seven-week recess without any agreement on Zika funding.
President Barack Obama had asked for $1.9 billion in the early spring to fight the disease. U.S. House and Senate leaders agreed on a $1.1 billion package last week, but it was rejected by Senate Democrats who cited “partisan” provisions in the bill, including blocking funding to some Planned Parenthood facilities in Puerto Rico.
“Communities in Manatee County and elsewhere in Florida needed federal resources weeks ago to stop this deadly virus,” said Buchanan, who supported Obama’s original Zika request. “The health of thousands of lives is now at stake because Congress and the president could not overcome their political differences.”
“Congress has failed its primary duty to protect American lives. Inevitably, more vulnerable pregnant mothers and newborns are now at risk because of partisan politics.”
