Alexandra Phelan, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., and Lawrence Gostin, director of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, penned a Health Affairs blog post describing a few of the ways the U.S. is unprepared to handle a Zika virus outbreak.
According to the blog authors, the biggest problems the U.S. faces include:
- Insufficient mosquito control, surveillance and healthcare resources
- Inconsistent capability levels and service quality among public health and mosquito abatement authorities
- Weak legal powers to implement critical interventions
"It is one thing to fail to prepare for an emerging infectious disease if the risks are uncertain. But it is quite another to fail to act when the facts are clear: we know that Zika is coming to the US, that it harms newborns and will disproportionately affect poor women and their children," wrote the authors. "Failure to prepare for a storm that is spreading rapidly in our region, heading for our shores and which could affect the next generation is unconscionable."
Ms. Phelan and Mr. Gostin criticized Congress for delaying the approval of the Obama administration's request for supplemental Zika funding. The authors also highlighted issues that could arise from having state and local governments maintain responsibility for vector control efforts.
"While federal agencies cannot assert legal authority over states or localities, they can provide funding, scientific guidelines and technical assistance," according to the blog.
Ultimately, both Ms. Phelan and Mr. Gostin would like to see Congress do more to support efforts to get the U.S. prepared to fight Zika.
"This is more than simply a public health issue, but also a matter of social justice threatening the poorest people in our country," the authors concluded. "Congress must not ignore the ethical and moral implications of its delay while federal, state and local public health agencies struggle without the critical funding needed to protect the health of poor Americans."
More articles on Zika:
Florida Congressman is first House Republican to back Obama's proposed Zika funding
Elizabethkingia, mumps, Zika: 6 ongoing outbreaks in the US
First US Zika-related death reported in Puerto Rico