Dr. Ruiz Leads Efforts to Fight Zika Virus
March 3, 2016
Washington, D.C. – Today Dr. Raul Ruiz (CA-36) authored a bipartisan letter, signed by 61 of his colleagues, to House Speaker Ryan urging a vote on emergency funding to fight the Zika virus that continues to spread through the Americas.
“I’m very concerned about the health security threat that the Zika virus poses to my patients and constituents, the United States, as well as our neighbors to the south. We must take immediate action,” said Dr. Ruiz. “In an effort to expedite funding that would allocate necessary resources to fight the Zika virus, I sent a letter to Speaker Ryan requesting that he quickly bring funding legislation to the House floor. This is not a Republican issue or a Democratic issue; it is a public health and health security issue.”
Last week the Administration submitted a formal supplemental appropriations request for approximately $1.9 billion for vaccine research, public education, vector control, and other initiatives that will help control the spread and potentially damaging effects of this virus.
Because Zika was perceived as relatively non-threatening prior to recent months, very little research has been done on the virus, and its transmission is not fully understood. There is no vaccine, and testing is limited. Scientists and the public are in search of answers to a myriad of lingering questions regarding prevention, contraction, testing, and treatment, as well as long-term or permanent ramifications. According to the CDC there have been 153 travel-associated Zika virus diseases cases reported in the U.S.
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