CDC Director, Schatz Discuss Combating Dengue on Hawai"i Island, Zika Threat

Statement

Today, Dr. Thomas Frieden, the Director for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai"i) discussed efforts to combat dengue fever on Hawai"i Island and the threat of Zika.

"Dengue is a public health emergency on Hawai"i Island. With the emerging threat of a possible Zika crisis, we need to act fast," said Senator Schatz. "There is no doubt we need additional funding, but we also need the CDC's commitment to address dengue and the threat of Zika simultaneously in Hawai"i."

At an Appropriations Committee hearing today, Senator Schatz, a member of the committee, called for quick approval of additional funding and urged Director Frieden to coordinate with state and local governments to improve mosquito control programs to help stop the spread of both dengue and Zika.

Last week, Senator Schatz joined 45 Senate Democrats to send a letter to President Obama urging a coordinated interagency response plan to address the spread of the Zika virus both at home and abroad. The letter called for the president to take a number of new actions, including taking the Zika virus into consideration in his FY17 budget request.

Hawai"i has had over 250 confirmed cases of dengue since September 2015, mostly concentrated on Hawai"i Island. Like dengue, Zika can be transmitted by mosquitos. Zika has been spreading throughout the Americas and has been linked with neurological ailments such as paralysis and devastating birth defects. The CDC has issued its highest alert level for Zika, while the World Health Organization has declared it a global health emergency.

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