The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is almost out of money to fight the Zika virus, according to the agency’s director. “Basically, we are out of money and we need Congress to act,” Dr. Tom Frieden told reporters. “The cupboard is bare.”
Frieden’s statement came Tuesday morning, just hours before Florida announced three more confirmed cases of the virus. Those new cases put Florida’s number of homegrown Zika cases up to 46. While one of the new cases is related to a Zika outbreak in Miami Beach, the other two are still being investigated, according to officials. The CDC has been helping Florida track down its cases and fight mosquitos.
“It’s still the peak of mosquito season. It usually doesn’t end until the end of October,” Frieden said. “Unfortunately, we will see large numbers of infected infants in the coming weeks and months.”
The CDC is attempting to keep track of every pregnant woman with Zika. So far, it’s counted 584 in the U.S. and 812 in the territories, primarily in Puerto Rico. “Already, there have been 16 infants born in the continental U.S. with Zika. That number will increase,” Frieden said. “The numbers in Puerto Rico will likely be substantial.”
Congress comes back from a seven-week break next Tuesday, and the CDC and other health agencies will be waiting with funding demands. The CDC already repurposed tens of millions of dollars into their Zika fund — $197.3 of $222 million has already been spent, according to Frieden. Most of the funds have been spent in Puerto Rico, where Zika outbreak led the U.S. Health Department to declare a public health emergency.
(Via NBC News)