There is no reason why Congress cant give those on the ground the tools they need to proactively address this threat without sinking our country further into debt.
WASHINGTON U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) authored the following column on legislation he introduced to provide $1.1 billion in funding to help prepare for and combat the spread of the Zika virus:
Battle Zika Virus Without New Debt
By U.S. Senator John Cornyn
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/commentary/article/Battle-Zika-virus-without-new-debt-7483284.php
Over the past few months the Zika virus has spread in countries across the Caribbean and Latin America. Although the symptoms can be minor the virus can cause severe birth defects in children.
In places where Zika has hit particularly hard like Brazil experts have found alarming rates of infants born with microcephaly or incomplete brain development to mothers who had been infected with the virus.
As the weather continues to warm more and more Texans are rightly concerned about the continued spread of the virus in our state. Fortunately Texass top research and medical facilities have been working on ways to prevent the spread of Zika and protect Texans against its symptoms.
A few months ago experts at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston briefed me on their extensive work in Brazil studying the virus. Above all they stressed the urgent need for the United States to proactively do all that we can to mitigate the spread of the virus. And in April I visited with researchers at the Texas Medical Center to hear about their ground-breaking work to create a rapid test for the virus and strengthen mosquito control in potential hotspots. They too urged congressional action so that our country can be prepared to handle this potential health crisis.
After briefings like these as well as with the secretary of Health and Human Services and the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention theres no question that we need to act with urgency to avert what could become a public health crisis. And because of our warmer climate and closer proximity to areas where mosquitoes currently carry the Zika virus states like Texas will act as the first responders to Zika in the United States this summer. Heres the bottom line: Congress cant sit back and do nothing; we have to do our part to make sure that organizations on the frontlines of Zika research and prevention efforts have the resources they need to get the job done.
Fortunately this week the U.S. Senate will vote on several pieces of legislation to provide additional federal funding so public health professionals can proactively tackle this threat head-on.
Senator John Cornyn a Republican from Texas is a member of the Senate Judiciary and Finance Committees.
