Blumenthal Statement on First Positive Zika Test of a Pregnant Woman In Connecticut

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), released the following statement today after the Connecticut Department of Public Health announced that a pregnant woman in Connecticut has tested positive for Zika virus:

“Today’s announcement of another person in Connecticut who has tested positive for Zika – this time a pregnant woman – once again underscores the need for immediate Congressional action. I have continuously urged Congress to act to protect families both domestically and abroad from this virus, and will continue to do so until Congressional Republicans finally take action.”

Yesterday, Blumenthal held a press conference in Hartford, Connecticut to reiterate his call for emergency funding to stop the Zika epidemic. He was joined by U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Yale School of Public Health, Hartford Hospita, and the Connecticut State Medical Society, as well as Protein Sciences in Meriden and CargoGen in Farmington, two companies who are working to develop the Zika vaccine. Blumenthal also visited Protein Sciences and talked with executives and scientists working on Zika vaccine research.

In February, President Obama submitted an emergency funding request of $1.9 billion for the prevention and treatment of the Zika virus outbreak. For more than two months, Congressional Republicans have failed to respond to the President’s Zika funding request.

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