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The Lowdown On Zika In The USA

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Discussion on the Zika virus doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, especially with the upcoming Summer Olympics to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August.

Earlier this year, President Barack Obama requested funds to fight the virus. As of this month, there have been no documented cases transmitted in the continental US and the virus remains in mosquitoes found outside the country. But as summer approaches, mosquito season arrive with it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is about to launch a national rapid response plan to the tune of $2 billion dollars.

Journalist Jonathan Katz and his wife Claire were working in Haiti last January, a country known for its mosquitoes. According to Katz, the couple wore long-sleeved clothing, slept under a mosquito net that was treated with repellant and were applying amounts of DEET to ward off the insects. They still got bitten despite all the precautions, and contracted the virus. Mass panic over the virus began gaining momentum in the USA.

CDC Deputy Director Anne Schuchat has said, “Everything we look at with this virus seems to be a bit scarier than we initially thought.”

President Obama asked for nearly $1.9 billion to combat the potential threat – a request that was rejected by both the House and the Senate, instead proposing $622 million and $1.1 billion, respectively.

Katz says that looking at health scares such as Zika and Ebola as emergency crises can exaggerate the dangers they pose and prevent a better, more effective response. “There is a constant catastrophism in the media the way that things get covered, and, you know, part of the reason for that is that it can be the only way to get people’s attention. Zika, to use that particular example, is not a catastrophe at the moment. Obviously, for you personally that can feel catastrophic, but on the societal level at the moment, it’s not a catastrophe,” he says.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla, says Congress should act immediately and focus on the smaller details later, and that lawmakers should not wait until the threat becomes a catastrophe.

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-NC, on the other hand, argues that the real issue is knowing where exactly all the funds are supposed to go, stating that while Zika is indeed a health crises, the amount being requested has not been thought out.

Zika has been linked to microcephaly in newborn babies whose mothers were infected by the virus, but the debate on whether or not Zika is actually responsible for the birth defect is still ongoing. Officials are unable to explain why there have only been a few cases of microcephaly outside Brazil. While the CDC and World Health Organization (WHO) have recently pointed to Zika as the cause, they admit that there may be other factors involved.

80% of people who get bitten by the disease-carrying mosquitoes don’t get sick or experience symptoms. In Katz’s case, he experienced “red eyes, a little bit of the conjunctivitis, some of the joint pain, some of the swelling. Fingers and toes swell up a little, kind of like sausages.” He adds that his infection was mild compared to other mosquito-borne diseases, but that the danger could be in the long-term effects.

As it stands, the Zika scare has caused serious concerns over the Olympic Games to be held in Brazil. While the WHO says the risk isn’t enough to cancel or move the Games elsewhere, the rest of the world isn’t so sure – tickets to the Games have not been completely sold and an open letter was penned to WHO officials by concerned individuals to consider moving the event.

The CDC would not provide a full breakdown of where the funds would go, but some general information has been provided: $699 million would go to Medicare, Medicaid and “Domestic Response,” $416,000,000 to Puerto Rico, the State Department and “International Response,” $335,000,000 for the U.S. Agency for International Development and also to help other nations, $295,000,000 under the category “Other Activities,” and $140,000,000 for vaccine development.

CDC Director Thomas Frieden says,

For the CDC’s part, we’ve given specifics. We have a very specific plan. It’s our best estimate of what’s needed. The situation changes day by day. This is a rapidly changing epidemic.

Funds to fight Zika have been found in $500 million leftover Ebola money and $85 million from the Department of Health and Human Services, ready even without action from the House. Meadows adds that there is about $2.7 billion that could be shifted within 30 days, appropriated for other causes regarding the health and safety of Americans.

Frieden contests that this is a bad idea, essentially “robbing Peter to pay Paul.” Katz, on the other hand, says that it’s important for everyone to see and understand where the funds are being spent should it be granted, and monitor whether the measures being spent on are effective or not.

US health officials say they don’t expect an epidemic similar to what’s happening in Brazil, as areas most likely to be hit, such as Florida and Texas, are less populated than South American cities. Despite the issues regarding funding, measures have already been taken on local levels to prevent Zika from becoming a very real problem instead of a mere threat.

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