Letter to Senate and House Conferees - Murphy Renews Push For Full Emergency Zika Funding As Florida Surpasses 200 Cases

Letter

We respectfully write to request that the members of the conference committee support and provide the administration's full supplemental Zika funding request of $1.9 billion.

As you know, the Zika virus is a serious threat in the United States and abroad. Already, more than 2,000 Americans in the continental United States and territories have been infected. Of those, 423 are pregnant women. As we have seen throughout Central and South America and other Zika-affected regions, those numbers will grow, as will the number of children born with microcephaly.

This urgency is seen most clearly within the public health infrastructure and infectious disease research communities. Each day, our offices receive pleas from every level of government and private institutions for the necessary resources to better understand the Zika virus and prevent its transmission. These pleas increase each day as we move closer to summer when rain and heat create the optimal environment for the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Additionally, at research institutions across the country, leading scientists are working to unlock the virus's transmission, develop better testing systems, and ultimately deliver a vaccine. These serious efforts require an equally serious investment without delay.

The United States has a proud tradition of leading the world in public health and infectious disease research. We respectfully implore you to heed the pleas of our constituents and medical experts and provide the full $1.9 billion request to combat Zika.