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Editorial: Prevention, federal cash key to fighting Zika

 
Florida officials are right to encourage the public to focus on Zika prevention, but Congress should make sure the nation has the money it needs to ward off an outbreak.
Florida officials are right to encourage the public to focus on Zika prevention, but Congress should make sure the nation has the money it needs to ward off an outbreak.
Published April 29, 2016

Florida health officials have asked the state's residents to take reasonable measures to prevent an outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus. So far there have been no locally transmitted cases of the virus, which has been proven to cause severe birth defects in babies. But Florida's warm weather and frequent showers provide just the right conditions for mosquitoes to breed. State health officials are right to encourage the public to focus on prevention, but Congress should make sure the nation has the money it needs to ward off an outbreak.

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, and several bay area health experts gathered in a Tampa back yard last week to address public health concerns about Zika. The group focused on pregnant women or those who might be thinking about getting pregnant during the summer. Health officials have found that Zika is linked to microcephaly, a birth defect that results in a small head size that could interfere with brain development. The officials encouraged all Floridians, especially pregnant women, to avoid being outside at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active, wear long sleeves and bug repellent, and cover windows with screens.

Scientists first discovered the Zika virus in Uganda in 1947. The first human case was detected in 1952, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Outbreaks have occurred in subtropical Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands. In May 2015, Zika infections occurred in Brazil, and by February the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern. Zika is transmitted by the Aedes species of mosquito. It is most often passed to humans by an infected mosquito but also can be transmitted through sex, leading the CDC to encourage pregnant women or those who are thinking about pregnancy to abstain from unprotected sex.

In Florida, there are nearly 100 confirmed cases of Zika infections, including in five pregnant women. Each case is related to someone who had traveled out of the country to a Zika-infected area. Health records show there are three confirmed cases in the bay area, all in Hillsborough County. Miami-Dade County has at least 39 cases, the most in the state.

Florida health officials have significant experience managing mosquito-borne illnesses from dengue fever to West Nile. So far, officials are sending the right message about Zika. There is no need to panic. Precaution should be the watchword. A Zika outbreak appears to be preventable if the public takes the proper precautions, including eliminating pools of standing water where mosquitoes breed. Even a surface area as small as a bottle cap can be problematic. Local and state health officials also are wisely monitoring the mosquito populations, spraying communities when necessary and providing testing for people who think they may be infected.

But a silly fight over funding for prevention efforts has broken out in Congress over President Barack Obama's $1.9 billion request to combat Zika in the United States. A request to respond to a public health emergency should not be mired in partisan politics. Lawmakers should re-examine their priorities and put the health of Americans above partisan budget battles.

Most people infected with Zika won't know it. Its symptoms are generally mild and dissipate within a week after being bitten. But Floridans or visitors to the state who have a rash, fever, joint pain and conjunctivitis should call the state's Zika hotline, 1-855-622-6735, to inquire further. The most effective weapon in this effort is an informed and vigilant public that takes seriously the opportunity to stop an outbreak before it starts.