After Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency regarding the Zika virus in four counties last week, including Hillsborough, state representatives are taking further action.
On Monday, Feb. 8, U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross co-sponsored H.R. 4400, a bill that wants to add the Zika virus to the list of diseases included in the Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher Program at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Zika virus is a disease mostly transferred through mosquito bites from an infected mosquito.
Common symptoms from the virus, which usually begin between two to seven days from being bitten, include joint pain, fever, rashes and red eyes. Though the World Health Organization has called Zika a public health emergency, most people with the virus typically do not go to the hospital, and the disease rarely results in death.
The virus can be transmitted from a pregnant woman to her baby if the mother is infected. The virus can cause babies to have the birth defect microcephaly, which results in babies having smaller heads and brains than other children of the same age and gender.
This week, Florida expanded the state of emergency regarding the virus to a total of seven counties. Sixteen people in the state have been diagnosed with the virus.
“The emerging outbreak of the tropical Zika virus is a public health crisis that demands an immediate and urgent response, which is why I co-sponsored bipartisan legislation to protect the people of District 15 and the United States from this dangerous virus,” Ross said in a press release. “We do not have the luxury of time, and I strongly urge my colleagues to join this bipartisan effort and encourage the rapid development of a vacine or treatment for this virus … We need to make sure we do everything we can to make sure we eliminate any roadblocks to the development, testing and ultimate distribution of a vaccine for the Zika virus.”
The virus is not new, according to the CDC. In the past, the Zika virus has been found in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. The virus was first found in Brazil in May 2015, and has since been found in the United States.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.