Ebola Funds May Help Combat Zika Virus

SARASOTA, FL — President Barack Obama asked and several members of the U.S. House of Representatives have answered.

In response to Obama’s request for emergency funding to combat the growing threat posed by the mosquito-borne Zika virus, a bill was introduced in the House to funnel more than $1 billion in funds appropriated by Congress to combat Ebola to the new battle being waged against Zika virus.

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Florida, is one of the bill’s co-sponsors. The re-appropriation request has been referred to several committees, but it remains unclear just how soon it might make it to the House floor.

Dubbed the Zika Response and Safety Act, the bill targets the $1.4 billion left over from the country’s response to the Ebola virus. The act’s approval would mean federal agencies would be able to use this cash for the Zika response.

Sixteen travel-related cases of Zika virus have been reported in the state of Florida. Three of those cases involve residents of Hillsborough County.

On the national level, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has activated its emergency operations center to a “Level 1” status, its highest. The only other times in recent history the center has activated at Level 1 status include the 2014 Ebola outbreak, the H1NI pandemic in 2009 and during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The CDC’s activation status was announced Monday. The move is meant to reflect “the agency’s assessment of the need for an accelerated preparedness to bring together experts to focus intently and work efficiently in anticipation of local Zika virus transmission by mosquitoes in the Continental U.S.,” the CDC said in a statement.

See Also:

• Florida Zika Cases Rise As Obama Asks For Funding
• First Zika Case Transmitted In U.S. Reported In Texas
• Zika Virus Information Floridians Need To Know

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has also declared a public health emergency following confirmation of travel-related cases of the virus in the Sunshine State. The counties impacted are Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Broward, Lee, Osceola, St. Johns and Santa Rose.

Zika is a mosquito-borne illness that is characterized by a fever, rash and joint pain. According to the state, only about one out of five people infected with Zika are symptomatic. While the illness typically resolves within a week, some severe cases may require hospitalization.

It is especially dangerous for pregnant women. Several reports have linked Zika in mothers with microcephaly in infants. That condition, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, is a potentially life-threatening birth defect where a baby’s head is smaller than expected.

“Pregnant women and their newborns are particularly vulnerable and need our help,” Buchanan said in a statement released Tuesday. “Congress needs to act now before the summer months arrive and the mosquito-borne virus becomes a burgeoning health crisis in Florida and other southern states.”

Aside from mosquitoes, Zika can be spread through sexual contact in some cases, the CDC notes. The first case of Zika virus transmitted in the United States was reported in Texas last week.

While Florida’s cases to date have originated through foreign travel, the state urges residents and visitors to protect themselves from mosquitoes.

“We encourage Florida residents and visitors to protect themselves from all mosquito-borne illnesses by draining standing water; covering their skin with repellent and clothing; covering windows with screens; and other basic precautions included in ‘drain and cover,’” Brad Dalton, Florida Department of Health deputy press secretary, told Patch.

Photo courtesy of the CDC/James Gathany