On Wednesday, Gov. Rick Scott (R) said the CDC, following his previous requests for aid, will provide Florida with seven additional personnel members to support lab function and expedite the Zika testing process to trim the backlog of pending tests.
As of Wednesday, more than 2,200 pregnant women have received a free Zika test through county health departments in the state of Florida. According to The New York Times, hundreds of women in Miami, where local mosquito transmission was first detected in the state, have been waiting weeks for results.
Mara Gambineri, a Florida Health Department spokeswoman, told the Times the department processes, on average, 140 of the blood or urine Zika tests and 90 of the antibody tests — which can detect Zika infections which have occurred in the last 12 weeks — per day.
Upon announcing the additional lab technicians, Gov. Scott promptly requested more support.
"With more than 70 cases of locally acquired Zika in Florida, it is critically important that we continue to provide everyone, especially pregnant women, with test results as quickly as possible," said Gov. Scott. "While these additional personnel will help to expedite Zika testing, we know that there is an increasing demand for testing throughout our state and we must be prepared to respond. That is why today I am requesting the CDC to provide Florida with additional lab support personnel to aid in our testing efforts. I am hopeful the CDC will quickly fulfill this request as our state continues to do everything possible to protect pregnant women."
In addition to calling for extra manpower from the CDC, Gov. Scott again appealed to the federal government to pass an emergency funding measure for the Zika response. Lawmakers, after months of back and forth, have yet to pass any such measure.
"Today, I will continue to meet with congressional leaders to discuss the need for immediate funding for Zika preparedness," said Gov. Scott. "I expect Congress and the president to address this national health issue by taking action now."
As of Sept. 8, according to the CDC, 18 infants have been born in the United States with Zika-related birth defects.
More articles on the Zika virus:
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Nearly 700 pregnant women in US have Zika