Ed Markey: “we are in a race against time. The number of confirmed locally acquired Zika infections in Florida now total 56. In…”

“we are in a race against time. The number of confirmed locally acquired Zika infections in Florida now total 56. In Puerto Rico, it is estimated that 50 pregnant women are infected with Zika each day. There are now 67 countries and territories around the world reporting Zika cases. The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced that the agency has exhausted its current funds to combat the Zika virus, but thus far the Republicans have refused to work with the Democrats to actually provide the new funding in the race to find a vaccine. This is simply unacceptable. Last month, I visited Cabo Verde off the coast of Africa. I saw firsthand the devastating impacts of the Zika virus. Through a Catholic Relief Services program, I met with mothers and their infants suffering from microcephaly, the birth defect which causes smaller brains and other developmental defects in newborns. I was able to meet with two loving mothers: Dunia, the mother of Dara; and Suely, who is the mother of Senilson. Both babies were born on June 5, 2016. The first case of microcephaly associated with the Zika virus on Cabo Verde was detected in March, just 6 months after the disease was declared an epidemic in the country. Now there are more than 7,500 reported cases of Zika on Cabo Verde, and the number continues to grow. Zika is a terrifying virus. It is the only known mosquito-borne virus that can cause birth defects and also be sexually transmitted.…”