This was not unexpected. After months of warnings from public health officials and scientists, the first locally transmitted cases of the Zika virus were reported in South Florida. Any illusion that this mysterious menace would not take hold in local mosquito populations and threaten multitudes more Floridians is gone. Any notion that the threat was overblown is dispelled. President Barack Obama, more than 40 Senate Democrats and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio want Congress to return to Washington to deal with the issue, which is exactly what should happen.
Most Americans were awakened to the threat of this little-known virus early this year. Reports from Brazil and other parts of South America told of pregnant women having babies with severe birth defects, including microcephaly in which the head and brain are underdeveloped. The virus was quickly seen as a particular threat to Florida because of the state’s mosquito-friendly climate and constant stream of international travelers. Congress had its first chance to respond in February, when Obama requested $1.9 billion to fight the spread of the virus.
What happened in the wake of that request? Health officials reported the first known case of sexually transmitted Zika, a new discovery about the virus. The World Health Organization declared Zika a public health emergency; travelers were cautioned about visiting viral hot zones; and several Olympic athletes announced their intention to skip the Summer Games in Rio because of health worries. In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott declared an emergency as Zika showed up in several counties, including the Tampa Bay area. What didn’t happen? Congress allocating the money.
More than a month passed before the Senate approved legislation to address the crisis, and even that modicum of progress was short-lived. When House Republicans got their hands on the bill, they reduced the overall funding to $1.1 billion and cut money from Planned Parenthood and the Affordable Care Act, turning what should have been a no-brainer vote into a partisan hot potato. The bill died, and Congress went on vacation for weeks.
Health officials continue to combat the virus using modest amounts of money from other sources. The Centers for Disease Control said last week it has $222 million available for the effort, and nearly $100 million of that will have been provided within days. Resources will be virtually exhausted by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. Scott continues to implore Washington to act, and Florida’s two senators, Rubio and Bill Nelson, are united in their call for urgency. Meanwhile, the CDC recently told pregnant women flat-out to avoid the Miami neighborhood where Zika is spreading through mosquito bites. It’s thought to be the first travel warning in the continental United States due to an infectious disease outbreak, and its implications have Florida tourism officials on the verge of panic. If the threat to the state’s bottom line can’t spur action, do Florida’s 400-plus Zika patients, including 55 pregnant women, constitute enough of a crisis to free up money?
That’s the only way, after all, to fight Zika: with money. Spraying insecticides, educating the public, treating the sick, studying the virus and developing a vaccine are expensive propositions. Continuing to ignore a serious public health crisis is exponentially more costly.