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Staff ReportsJuly 13, 2016

As hopes dim for passage of a Zika funding bill, Congressman Vern Buchanan warned today the issue will become the new face of Washington dysfunction if Congress adjourns for the summer without taking action. “If Washington can’t function when the lives of infants are at stake, then when can it?” the congressman asked as Congress […]

Keith MorelliJuly 7, 2016

As the number of Zika cases in Florida mounts — 11 new cases were reported Wednesday, including one in Hillsborough County — state health officials have launched a campaign to educate children on the dangers of the virus and enlist their help in stemming the spread of disease-toting mosquitoes. The Florida Department of Health’s “Spill the […]

Keith MorelliJune 28, 2016

The first case of microcephaly, a birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and incomplete brain development, has surfaced in Florida. The defect is caused by the Zika virus, which was contracted by the mother while in her native Haiti, authorities said. Officials with the Florida Department of Health confirmed the […]

Staff ReportsJune 20, 2016

Saying “the time for inaction is over,” U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan today called for swift passage of a Zika funding bill before Congress adjourns Friday for a 10-day recess. “Today is the first day of summer, which means mosquito season is here and that means the Zika virus is here,” Buchanan said. “People’s lives are at stake — the time […]

Mitch PerryJune 15, 2016

Tom Frieden, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told a bipartisan group of Florida’s members of Congress on Wednesday that his agency lacks adequate funding to contend with the Zika virus, and that a vaccine “will take years to develop.” Frieden called the virus “unprecedented,” in its development, saying,”never before have we […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJune 10, 2016

Florida lawmakers continue to push for more federal assistance to fight the spread of Zika. Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday requested the Centers for Disease Control send an additional 1,300 Zika antibody tests to Florida. The additional tests would allow more Floridians, including pregnant women and new mothers, to see if they have had Zika. […]

Associated PressMay 16, 2016

The mosquitoes that can spread Zika are already buzzing among us. The U.S. government could use some help figuring out exactly where. No experience is necessary for what the U.S. Department of Agriculture envisions as a nationwide experiment in citizen-science. Teenagers already have proven themselves up to the task in tryouts involving a small number […]

Mitch PerryMay 10, 2016

Rick Scott takes his act to Washington on Wednesday, where the Florida governor hopes to rally members of Congress to approve President Obama‘s request for $1.9 billion to combat the spread of the Zika virus. So what is the hold-up? The virus seems only to be getting greater penetration into the U.S. On Monday, the Florida Department of Health announced two […]

Melissa RossFebruary 12, 2016

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 […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 5, 2016

Beginning next Monday, Florida Surgeon General John Armstrong will issue a 2 p.m. daily update on the status of the Zika virus in the state. The weekday updates will include a count of CDC-confirmed Zika cases by county and “information to better keep Floridians prepared,” according to a Department of Health news release issued Friday. Miami-Dade County leads the […]

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Florida lawmakers urge action to stop the spread of Zika

Citizen-scientists: Uncle Sam wants you to fight Zika!

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