Zika is a Real Threat We Must Address

By Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson

Today, I am writing about Zika, again.  Earlier this year, I penned an op-ed linking climate change and infectious disease. In this particular case, I focused on the Zika virus because our South American neighbors were facing a major outbreak of the virus and several North American cities had already seen travel-associated cases. It was time to act to prepare to handle this disease. I wrote this in February.

Now, I write in September, and Congress still has not taken any action to fund the agencies that would deal with preventing this disease’s spread. More than 200 days after President Barack Obama requested emergency funding to fight the Zika virus, there are now over 20,000 Zika virus cases across the U.S. and territories, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports.  It baffles me that funding an imminent and growing disease is a point of contention.

Let’s review the numbers. Nearly 1,400 pregnant women in the U.S. and territories have become infection and in the U.S. alone, more than one dozen babies have been born with the birth defect microcephaly. One of those infants, born in Texas, has died.

Experts have estimated that 25 percent of the population of Puerto Rico, including pregnant women, will become infected by the end of this calendar year. In Florida, there is an active vector-borne outbreak in two areas of Miami, causing the CDC to issue its first domestic travel advisory in history. While Florida suffers, other Gulf Coast states, including Texas, must be prepared to engage in vector control efforts when the virus spreads.

While Congress failed to act during the spring, then again in the summer, I urge my constituents and all residents of Texas to be vigilant and aware of the threats of this disease. There is a common misconception that if you are not planning on becoming pregnant or are not currently pregnant, you do not need to worry about the Zika virus. This is not true. If you become infected with the Zika virus, symptoms are mild and you may not suffer, but another mosquito can become infected from you and continue to spread the virus. All individuals are at risk of contracting and contributing to the spread of disease.

While I urge you to stay informed on prevention, transmission, travel notices, and cases of Zika virus at http://www.cdc.gov/zika/; I want you all to know that you are entitled to a better government, one that protects you. I hope it serves you well before the end of this year.