In Response to 7 Cases of Zika Reported in Orange County, Maloney Calls on Congress to Pass Emergency Funding to Combat Zika

Newburgh, NY — In response to 7 cases of travel-associated Zika reported in Orange County, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) joined local health experts at Orange County Community College, which is conducting mosquito surveillance for Orange County, to call for passage of $1.9 billion in emergency funding to combat Zika. Despite the growing number of Zika cases in New York and throughout the country, Congress left for summer recess without enacting bipartisan legislation to help fight the Zika virus. In August, as a result of the continuing congressional inaction, HHS informed Congress that it had been forced to redirect an additional $81 million in HHS funds already appropriated for other vital purposes to Zika – in order to prevent a delay in critical Zika vaccine development activities that are about to run out of money.

“Once again, Congress has been asleep at the wheel while thousands of Americans, including folks in Orange County, have contracted the Zika virus. As parents, we shouldn’t have to worry about our kids getting bitten while waiting for the school bus or whether it’s safe to start a family. Yet instead of passing emergency funding to combat and stop the spread of Zika, Congress went on vacation – forcing researchers to take money from Ebola to pay for Zika. We can’t keep living virus to virus, disease to disease – and we shouldn’t be robbing Peter to pay Paul – we need to fight Ebola and Zika. I urge Congress to make this a top priority and pass emergency funding immediately,” said Rep. Maloney.

County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus said, “There is virtually no risk of being infected with Zika virus in our region at this time. However, Orange County's Health Department will continue to be vigilant about monitoring Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases. I appreciate that Congressman Maloney is bringing attention to this important public health issue and seeking funding to study and combat it."

“The Orange County Health Department has had a comprehensive mosquito surveillance and response program since 2000,” stated Orange County Commissioner of Health, Dr. Eli Avila.  “The Health department works in collaboration with the Orange County Community College in the collection, identification and delivery of these mosquito pools to the NYSDOH’s Wadsworth Laboratory in Albany, NY.”  As of today there are seven Travel-related Zika virus cases in Orange County.  Commissioner Avila additionally stated, “I am concerned that there is new mounting evidence of Zika virus affecting cognitive and memory areas of the brain in adults.  Hence, the Zika dilemma goes beyond pregnant mothers and their unborn children.  It now has the potential to affect National Security.”  He urges Congress to work in a bi-partisan manner and appropriate the funds necessary to nullify the multifaceted societal sequelae of the Zika virus.

“As with the start of other past and wide-spread epidemics, there is a lot we don’t know about the Zika Virus and its long-term effects, but we are learning. A year ago the average American never heard the word Zika and it is now a public health crisis which must be fought with mosquito control, medical research and patient education. As more and more cases come forward, it will change the course of the health care landscape. There is great opportunity here and now to take urgent proactive measures and stay ahead of this potential health crisis,” said Cornerstone Family Healthcare Chief Medical Officer  Dr. Avi Silber.

“Congressman Maloney has outlined the need for additional funding to fight the spread of the Zika virus, and we all should be concerned about the virus’ continued spread,” said Dr. Kristine Young, SUNY Orange president. “SUNY Orange takes seriously its role as a contributor to the health, well-being and vibrancy of Orange County and the Hudson Valley. For the past 16 years, SUNY Orange has maintained a wonderful partnership with the Orange County Department of Health and the New York State Department of Health. Through grant funding, the College hires and trains current and former students in the trapping and identification of mosquito species that are known to carry specific viruses. Through this collaborative partnership, our students take their classroom education into the field in settings that augment their learning, while at the same time contributing to the well-being of our region. Partnerships and projects such as this pay huge dividends for our students, our faculty members, the College and the community.”

Rep. Maloney is a co-sponsor of H.R. 5044, which was introduced in April and provides $1.9 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations to the Departments of State and Health and Human Services (HHS) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the Zika virus. This legislation would provide $740 million towards expanding mosquito control programs, empowering state and local partners to work with federal agencies in educational programs and quick response outbreaks, $246 million for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to expand healthcare services for pregnant women and children with Zika-related birth defects, $277 million to NIH for research and development of vaccines, and $188 million to the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency to research Zika vaccines.  In June, Rep. Maloney joined his colleagues in signing a petition to force an immediate vote on the House Floor on this emergency funding. The petition currently has 165 signatures but needs 218 in order to force a vote.

On July 29th, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed the first-ever transmission of the Zika virus by local mosquitoes in the United States. This brings the total number of Zika cases in the 50 United States to 2,517, including 584 pregnant women. The number of overall confirmed Zika cases is now 11,528 in the United States and its territories, including 1,396 pregnant women. Recently, Florida health officials have announced 43 cases of local transmission of Zika in Florida, and in an unprecedented move the CDC has issued travel advisories for two neighborhoods in Miami. While the number of overall confirmed cases continues to grow significantly, there have now been 16 babies born with Zika-related birth defects in the United States. In New York, 701 cases have been reported to the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), 7 cases of which have been reported in Orange County.

In Orange County, which has reported 7 cases of travel-related Zika, SUNY Orange and the Orange County Department of Health have collaborated on the Orange County West Nile Virus Mosquito Surveillance Project. This team traps mosquitoes at designated locations throughout the county, identifies target species that are known vectors for the West Nile virus, and sends those specimens to the NYSDOH to be tested for the presence of the virus. The mosquitos caught are now being tested for West Nile and Zika.