Senate Democrats blocked Zika funding earlier this week — so where does that leave the country as a buggy summer season wears on?

“Americans are going to be paying tens or hundreds of millions of dollars per Zika case, and the government is doing nothing,” a former FDA official said.

Democrats gave the $1.1 billion measure a thumbs-down in a 52-48 vote Tuesday because it included “poison pills.” Namely, the measure would have prevented funding for Planned Parenthood and other family planning clinics, which angered Democrats. Republicans noted the measure would not have cut funding for women’s health. The GOP’s version of the bill, which was struck down, would have rerouted funding from Ebola and Obamacare initiatives.

The legislative stalemate comes on the heels of a new Zika vaccine showing promise — more testing on mice will be conducted. Meanwhile, a $2 saliva test has emerged that can detect the virus. This is important as couples hoping to get pregnant might make more informed decisions if such a test really works.

Other recent research found that the virus lingered longer in pregnant monkeys than in non-pregnant monkeys, similar to what researchers have noticed in humans. Upon reinfecting non-pregnant monkeys 10 weeks later, they found the animals were protected by the infection.

What You Think
A recent ABC News/The Washington Post poll found that one in three people are worried about contracting Zika — yet only one in four is taking steps to avoid mosquito bites.

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A Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that 72 percent of people — a majority of them Republicans — say the federal government should spend more to prevent Zika from spreading. And 65 percent said ensuring contraception and abortion were available to women infected with the virus in the U.S. was important.

“This is an immigration problem and it’s going to become a homeland security issue before too long.”

Dr. David Gortler, a former Food and Drug Administration senior medical officer and now a drug safety expert and FDA policy expert at FormerFDA.com, said Americans seem to have the Zika virus on the periphery of their minds, with all of the other things going on. Many do not realize the impact the virus will have on our nation — they only view it as a temporary impact on certain women who travel to and from certain areas.

“Americans are going to be paying tens or hundreds of millions of dollars per Zika case,” he said. “And the government is doing nothing.”

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Not passing the funding package shows we’re ignorant of the rampant damage mosquitoes can cause. Congress will be adjourned over the holiday weekend and won’t resume again until July 6.

“These people [the lawmakers] have no business going on vacation,” said Gortler. “This is an immigration problem and it’s going to become a homeland security issue before too long.”

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