Research on Zika virus stalled due to U.S. Congress as it continues to spread throughout states
Orange County, CA - August 10th 2016 - For the first time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel advisory upon U.S. soil—an area spanning one-square mile just north of downtown Miami, Florida. Considered “ground zero,” it is the only location in the U.S. with Zika-borne mosquitos exacerbating active transmission of the virus. 21 individuals in Miami have contracted it locally.
In the past year, the Zika virus has been making its way through the states via travel-related transmission. On Tuesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported the death of an infant with microcephaly, a birth defect linked to the virus. The infant’s mother, while pregnant, had reportedly been travelling to Latin America where she contracted the disease. An additional two newborns in Harris County, Texas have been reported to have zika-related microcephaly. All but one case has stemmed from travel related transmission; the outlier however, was contracted sexually.
According to the CDC, the U.S. had 1,825 Zika infections and a reported 5,548 cases throughout U.S. territories as of August 3rd, 2016. Nearly 300 pregnant American women have evidence of Zika infection, which can cause a skin rash, pain in joints, headaches, or vomiting. Although it was first identified in 1947, the virus didn’t have a major outbreak in humans until 2007, when it infected 73 percent of residents on Yap Island in the Federated States of Micronesia. By 2014, outbreaks swept as far as the Pacific Islands.
In March 2015, Brazil reported the spread of an illness with a skin rash to the World Health Organization. Within a few months, it was confirmed to be the first locally acquired Zika virus in the Americas. By December of last year, the illness spanned an additional twelve countries in the Americas and continued its dispersion to the Caribbean and Pacific Islands.
Without a vaccine or cure, methods for controlling Zika lies in preventative measures and targeting Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in areas with active transmission. In Miami-Dade County, officials opted for aerial spraying of two insecticides, the chemical Naled and a larvicide, which reduced the mosquito population by 96 percent. Additionally, genetically modified male mosquitoes may also be used to subdue the virus in different parts of Florida. These GMO mosquitos don’t bite and spawn offspring that die before maturation.
Last month, congress was expected to pass a Zika research funding bill requested by the White House in February. However, the measure failed in the Senate due to political disagreements, after the republican controlled House added stipulations that would reduce funding for Planned Parenthood, dismantle aspects of the Affordable Care Act, and undo the ban of Confederate flags in military cemeteries. It was with these conditions that Senate democrats refused to support the bill.
Earlier this summer a Zika vaccine was approved, however the first human trials are stalled until federal funding can approve of the clinical experiment. Research to understand the pathology of the virus and the correlations it has to neurological disorders, such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, congenital microcephaly, and other central nervous system malformations in newborns is at a standstill while awaiting provisions of congressional funds.
Though the White House has been able to use leftover funds appropriated to Ebola research into combating Zika, additional aid is limited. In lieu of Zika emergency funds, the burden falls largely on state and local health departments to identify and control the epidemic. However, the measure failed in the Senate due to political disagreements, dealing with added stipulations which would reduce funding for Planned Parenthood, dismantle aspects of the Affordable Care Act, and undo the ban of Confederate flags in military cemeteries. It was with these conditions that Democrats refused to support the bill.
“The goose is cooked. We are not going to get those dollars until after we need them,” says Dr. Umair A. Shah, Executive Director of Harris County Public Health, which has one of the best mosquito control programs in the U.S. “
It may already be too late.”
