On Sept. 9, the CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, continued to deploy exasperated rhetoric regarding the dearth of funding available to fight Zika, according to HealthDay News.
As local Zika transmission continues in the state of Florida and the number of Zika cases across the country continues to climb, federal legislators have continually failed to compromise on an emergency funding package to finance comprehensive prevention strategies. The most recent legislative failure came after a seven-week recess and inspired Florida Congressman David Jolly (R) to urge congress to act from the House floor with approximately 100 mosquitoes in tow.
Before Congress resumed negotiations on Sept. 9, Dr. Frieden told a group of reporters that the federal government was basically tapped on funding for Zika. According to HealthDay, the Associated Press quoted Dr. Frieden as saying the U.S. is "about to see a bunch of kids born with microcephaly."
As of Sept. 1, the CDC has reported 17 infants born with Zika-related birth defects including microcephaly in U.S. states. Additionally, five pregnancies have been lost in the states due to complications arising from maternal Zika infections.
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