Congressional
Delegation Calls for Immediate Approval of Additional Emergency Funding
EDITOR'S NOTE: so far this summer, the RI Health Department has found no mosquitos carrying West Nile or Eastern Equine Encephalitis.UPDATE: this morning, the Associated Press reports the RIDOH has found the first instances of West Nile carrying mosquitoes in a sample collected in Pawtucket.
U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Jim Langevin and David Cicilline today announced that Rhode Island will receive $200,000 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to enhance efforts to rapidly detect microcephaly and other adverse birth outcomes caused by Zika virus infection.
The
funding will be administered through the Rhode Island Birth Defects Program at
the Rhode Island Department of Health.
In
February, President Obama submitted to Congress a $1.9 billion emergency
supplemental funding request.
Despite
multiple attempts by Democrats to reach a bipartisan agreement, Republican
leaders chose to adjourn for the summer recess without passing a measure to
fund additional emergency response efforts.
Since
that time, the number of countries reporting cases of Zika has grown from 26 to
55, according to the World Health Organization.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Clinical trials on a potential Zika vaccine have started, but are about to stop due to a lack of funding.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Clinical trials on a potential Zika vaccine have started, but are about to stop due to a lack of funding.
There
have been more than 1,600 confirmed Zika cases in the United States linked to
international travel – including
21 cases in Rhode Island – and last month, the first cases of
locally-transmitted Zika were identified in Florida.
“I applaud the CDC for helping our nation confront and contain Zika, and I am pleased that this funding will help Rhode Island take necessary steps to mitigate the risks of this growing threat,” said Senator Jack Reed, a member of the Appropriations Committee.
Reed is seeking $1.9 billion in emergency funds to combat
Zika and has hosted CDC officials in Rhode Island to join local infectious
disease experts in discussing the state’s Zika education, prevention, and
response action plan. “The presence of the Zika virus in Florida is an
alarming development, and as reports of Zika continue to increase in the
continental United States, it’s critical that we are vigilant in our efforts to
contain the virus and ensure the health and safety of our state and nation.”
“This
federal funding will help our state promptly identify expectant mothers and
infants who may be infected with Zika, so they get the health care they need as
quickly as possible,” said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. “Still,
Congress needs to provide significantly more funding to address the serious
threat posed by Zika.”
“I
am glad that the CDC has made these funds available so that Rhode Island can
continue its surveillance, prevention and response efforts to combat the spread
of Zika,” said Congressman Jim Langevin. “However, reports of the first
mosquito-transmitted infection of the Zika virus in Florida are a call to
action for Congress. We must pass a bill that properly funds emergency response
efforts without delay and without unnecessary policy riders that turn what
should be a bipartisan effort into a partisan display. The health of the
American people, and the safety of pregnant women and their unborn babies, in
particular, is at stake.”
“I’m
pleased the CDC is stepping up to protect Rhode Islanders and all Americans
from the dangers of the Zika virus,” said Congressman David Cicilline.
“This funding will especially help mitigate the risks facing pregnant women and
anyone trying to become pregnant. Although this is an important first step,
it’s critical that we do more. I will continue fighting in Congress for robust
funding that vigorously addresses this public health crisis.”