Lujan Holds Zika Roundtable Discussion

Press Release

Congressman Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico's Third District convened a roundtable discussion on Tuesday, June 28. The event brought together individuals from Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories, the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and Center for Global Health, the New Mexico Department of Health, the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security, and the Centers for Disease Control who are working on efforts to address the Zika virus. Zika, which is primarily transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, can cause the serious birth defect microcephaly when women are infected during pregnancy. The first case of the Zika virus was detected in New Mexico on March 18.

In February, President Obama requested $1.9 billion to address Zika and the public health crisis it poses. Since that time the Republican-led Congress has yet to pass any funding, debating measures to provide anywhere from one-third to about half of the President's request. Meanwhile, New Mexico has some of the brightest minds leading the way in Zika research. Labs in the state are playing a leading role in researching Zika diagnostics, vaccines, and immunity. This event gave researchers the opportunity to discuss the work that is going on in New Mexico and how the state can be a national leader in this crisis.

"This is a serious health crisis in countries around the world, and with the potential to spread in the United States, we need to treat it as such here at home," Congressman Luján said. "New Mexico has the potential to lead in this effort; some of the best research is coming out of the state and our conversation made it clear that Congress needs to provide robust resources so that these folks can do what they do best."

"The University of New Mexico is proud to be conducting both clinical and preventative research in the fight against the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases," said Robert Frank, President of the University of New Mexico. "Our contributions in both areas illustrate how basic research can aid clinicians to improve global health outcomes, and also in the quick response to addressing the source of the infection. It is a true testament to the outstanding work being done at our Health Sciences Center."

"Emerging infectious diseases such as Zika virus are likely to become ever more important in the future," said Carol Burns, Deputy Principal Associate Director for Science, Technology and Engineering, Los Alamos National Laboratory. "Los Alamos brings a strong background of work in infectious disease modeling, diagnostics and surveillance. With its deep resources in infectious disease research, New Mexico can apply technological solutions to anticipate, characterize, and restrict their spread."

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