Obama Administration, Congress Failing in Zika Fight, Florida Governor Says

TALLAHASSEE, FL — With the total of non-travel related Zika virus cases under investigation in the state of Florida now up to 21, Gov. Rick Scott has made an appeal to Congress for immediate action. The state has committed more than $26 million to help fight the spread of the virus, but so far the federal government has failed to come through with support.

“Every day that passes that Congress and the president fail to come to an agreement hinders our national response to Zika,” Scott said in a Tuesday statement. “This is not only an issue affecting us here in Florida – this is a national issue. Florida is just at the head of it with the first cases of local transmission of Zika.”

On Tuesday, the state confirmed 14 new travel-related cases. Those cases involved four residents in Miami-Dade County, three in Orange County, two in Hernando County and one each in Broward, Lee and Monroe counties. Two new cases involving pregnant women were also announced Tuesday.

See also: Congress Vacations While Zika Virus Spreads Locally in U.S.

Scott also announced that four new non-travel-related cases are under investigation by the state. All four people are believed to have been exposed in the 1-square-mile area of Miami implicated in earlier locally acquired Zika virus cases. Tuesday’s announcement brings the state’s total of locally acquired cases to 21.

Since February, the state has confirmed 369 travel-related cases, along with 57 cases involving pregnant women.

Earlier this year, President Barack Obama pitched a $1.9 billion emergency funding package to help fight the spread of the Zika virus in the United States. While that proposal received some support from both Democrats and Republicans, the issue ultimately became bogged down in Congress. A bipartisan compromise bill was eventually floated, but failed. Another attempt was made before the summer recess, but that, too, failed due to disputes about provisions that would have restricted funding for birth control in the United States and Puerto Rico, NBC reported.

The failed July bill also represented a significant reduction in Obama’s requested $1.9 billion with only about $1.1 billion allotted.

Congress does not reconvene from its summer vacation until September.

That’s not soon enough for action to take place, Scott insisted Tuesday.

“The Obama Administration has still not fulfilled our requests for an additional 10,000 Zika prevention kits for pregnant women or a detailed plan on how they would like Florida to work with FEMA on requesting emergency response funds since this has become mosquito-borne in our state,” Scott said. “The federal government must stop playing politics and Congress needs to immediately come back to session to resolve this.”

Zika virus is a mosquito-borne illness that is characterized by a fever, rash and joint pain. While the illness typically resolves within a week, some severe cases may require hospitalization.

The CDC has confirmed that the Zika virus is responsible for causing severe defects in unborn children, including microcephaly, which leaves babies with abnormally small heads and often with brains that do not develop properly.

Until late July, the 1,400 or so cases identified in the U.S. had all been contracted while people were traveling out of the country or through sexual transmission. The CDC has confirmed a number of sexually transmitted Zika virus cases in the country. The 15th case, reported in New York earlier this month, was the first in which a woman transmitted the disease to a man. Florida has already had a baby born in the state with microcephaly. A baby born in Texas died recently from complications related to the Zika virus-caused condition.

See also: 1st Texas Infant Dies From Zika-Related Microcephaly

Aside from mosquitoes, Zika can be spread through sexual contact in some cases, the CDC notes. One of the confirmed cases in Polk County originated through sexual contact, the state of Florida reported. The patient in the case contracted the virus while traveling outside of the country.

The CDC recommends women who are pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant postpone travel to areas where there is widespread Zika infection.

To help residents resolve questions about the virus and its spread, the state has set up a Zika Virus Information Hotline at 1-855-622-6735. The hotline has fielded more than 3,710 calls since it was launched Feb. 12, the state reported.

Photo via Gov. Rick Scott’s Facebook page