Zika Virus

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to address a serious public health issue facing our country.

As a physician, I am very concerned over the recent spread of the Zika virus in the Americas, particularly given the potential long-term effects that are now being linked to the virus.

Zika was first discovered in 1948 in Uganda. Until recently, little research or attention was paid to the virus. It was not thought to have any lasting effects until recently. Because of this, there is no vaccine, no drug treatment, and testing is not readily available.

It is important to note that four out of five individuals who contract Zika are unaware that they have it because they do not ever show any symptoms. For those that do, symptoms are generally mild.

However, as the virus continues to spread, researchers are identifying a link between Zika and infants being born with congenital microcephaly as well as a link between Zika and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

There are still many questions, and scientists are searching for answers. For example, can Zika be transmitted sexually? If so, for how long is it transmittable? What are the long-term health and economic effects of this infection?

While at this time there have been no reported cases of mosquito transmission within the U.S., there have been over 150 travel-related cases reported. Most recently a Zika case was found in Orange County, not too far from my district.

The CDC is currently advising pregnant women to postpone travel to Zika-affected areas, and if they must travel, to first consult with their physician and take all necessary precautions to avoid mosquitos.

Last month, the administration submitted a supplemental appropriations request for emergency funding to help fight the Zika virus. And my physician-scientist colleagues at the CDC and NIH have echoed the need for funding.

As we enter mosquito season and families start to travel for summer vacation, it is important that we do not delay this funding and work to ensure that we contain the damage the virus could cause if left unchecked. Timing is of the essence and emergency funding needs to be appropriated immediately to mitigate any potentially destructive effects.

This is why I sent a bipartisan letter, along with 61 of my colleagues, urging Speaker Ryan to bring to the floor legislation that would appropriate emergency funding to help fight the Zika virus.

This is not a Democratic issue. This is not a Republican issue. It is a public health and health security issue. The cost of not acting is just too high.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source