“Combating Zika and Other Infectious Diseases”
By Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-01)
The mosquito borne Zika virus has spread at rapid rates across South America, Central America and the Caribbean – infecting individuals in more than 25 countries.
Zika has caused widespread alarm across the global community after Brazil reported a rise in the number of cases of microcephaly, a disease that leads tragically to a baby being born with an unusually small head and brain damage; affecting thousands of small children in Latin America.
The awful birth defects associated with the virus, and the lack of preventative treatments, have resulted in authorities taking drastic measures in several Latin American countries, including El Salvador, Colombia and Ecuador, where women are being urged to stop having kids altogether. What is so concerning about the Zika virus is how easily it can spread. The virus is spread not only through a mosquito bite, but also by contact with infected blood or sexual contact. Furthermore, there is currently no vaccine to prevent, or any medicine to treat, the virus. All of these factors have led the World Health Organization to declare the Zika virus a public health emergency.
Confirmed cases of the Zika virus have been popping up across the U.S., including at least 3 confirmed cases here in Suffolk County. Recent estimates show that 200 million Americans live in areas that could see Zika spread through mosquitos during the warmer months.
With the recent outbreaks and the number of Zika cases among travelers visiting or returning to the United States, it’s only a matter of time before this becomes a wide spread epidemic right here at home. As evidenced with the Ebola virus epidemic in 2013, which decimated populations across Western Africa, if the proper infrastructure and funding is not put into place before an outbreak hits, the consequences can be truly devastating. That is why we must act now.
I recently introduced legislation, the Counterterrorism Screening and Assistance Act of 2016, H.R. 4314, which passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee with bipartisan support on January 7, 2016.
One critical aspect of this legislation is that the bill would put in place a monitoring system that would screen for infectious diseases abroad in order to contain and prevent any potential outbreaks. The bill also helps quarantine the virus, authorizing the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide the necessary equipment and supplies to mitigate the risk or threat of infectious diseases, such as Zika.
In addition to screening for infectious diseases, my bill would also establish a plan to close security gaps that currently exist that allow terrorists and foreign fighters to travel internationally, as well as establish international border security standards. Furthermore, a reporting system would be established to monitor efforts of foreign governments to combat terrorism and foreign fighter travel and to suspend foreign assistance to countries not making significant efforts to comply. Moreover, U.S. surplus equipment and supplies would be sent abroad to boost security.
The Counterterrorism Screening and Assistance Act of 2016 is a measure that is long overdue to not only protect our homeland from terrorism, but also ensure the U.S. is always prepared to combat the spread of any infectious diseases.
I will continue to push for the full passage of my Counterterrorism Screening and Assistance Act in the House, and urge my colleagues to bring this bipartisan bill to the House floor for a vote. Protecting America’s security at home and abroad remains one of my highest priorities in Congress.
Congressman Lee Zeldin, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, represents the First Congressional District of New York.