Connecticut's US Senators emphasized the need for extra funding form Congress to fight the Zika virus in this country and overseas.
President Barack Obama asked for $1.8 billion to be authorized by Congress to be spent on research, outreach, and toward the development of a vaccine to fight Zika.
The proposal has stalled in Congress.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal chided Republicans, said, “Mosquitoes, here’s a newsflash, don’t know the difference between red states and blue states."
Sen. Chris Murphy said the funding from Washington could be critical for Connecticut because there are several labs working on a vaccine to fight the virus currently. They include Protein Sciences in Meriden, UConn, and Carogen in Farmington.
“Right now the Republican leadership in Congress is refusing to take a vote on the president’s recommendation. I don’t know why this has become a political issue.”
Dr. Ulysses Wu, the Chief of Infectious Disease at Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, said people don't need to be worried about contracting Zika in Connecticut. Those who should be concerned are anyone pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant and they have travel plans to Central America, where some mosquitoes are carrying the virus.
"We are not worried about local transmission. People have said we are an air conditioning borne society so that is going to help us protect against these mosquito viruses," Dr. Wu said.
