Florida Gov. Rick Scott is pleading with President Obama to come through with insecticide, mosquito traps and other necessary equipment to fight the spread of the dreaded Zika virus,
The Washington Times is reporting.
The governor said Florida's muggy summer season will allow disease-carrying insects to flourish. Scott expressed disappointment that Congress failed to pass a funding package before the start of the hurricane season, which kicked off June 1.
"Despite repeated calls for action, Congress has failed to act and now they are on vacation," the Washington Times says Scott wrote in a letter to Obama.
And the Orlando Sentinel newspaper reported that Scott also said in the letter:
"In order to best protect the 20 million people in Florida and our many visitors from the spread of Zika, I cannot waste any time on disappointment. Florida needs action from the federal government now,"
the letter states.
Zika causes fever, nausea and joint aches and, when contracted by pregnant women, can lead to birth defects. It is spread through mosquitoes and sexual contact with infected persons.
"In Florida, we learned that the best way to protect our people during a hurricane is to have a good game plan before the storm comes," the Orlando Sentinel reported Scott wrote to Obama.
"With the Zika virus, the storm is predicted by the CDC to be just around the corner, and we need federal action now to keep our citizens safe and healthy through what would no doubt be a disaster if this virus becomes mosquito-borne in our state."
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