On June 9, 2016, HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell and CDC Director Tom Frieden,
along with Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Amy Pope at the White House
hosted a video tele-conference with Governors and local officials from
states believed to be at the highest risk
for local transmission of Zika. The discussion focused on the Federal
government’s support of and partnering with state and local governments
as they conduct Zika preparedness and response efforts. In addition, the
discussion covered guidance that the Federal
government is providing today to states to help them prepare for cases
of local transmission as we enter the summer months, which are the
height of mosquito season. Governors from Alabama, Arizona, Florida,
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas joined the call
along with officials from Georgia, Hawaii, California, and Los Angeles
County.
During the call, Burwell and Frieden briefed the governors on the
Administration’s Zika response efforts to date. Burwell stressed the
importance of states quickly implementing mosquito control and
surveillance activities; ensuring sufficient laboratory
capacity to handle indicated diagnostic testing needs; communicating
with the public, particularly pregnant women and women of childbearing
age and returning travelers; about the risk of mosquito-borne and
sexual transmission of Zika; and taking additional
steps to ensure the safety of the blood supply.
Burwell also stressed the need for Congress to pass the
Administration’s full emergency funding request so that states and
territories have the funding they need to fight Zika.
CDC Director Frieden highlighted federal resources available to
states, including technical assistance from CDC; funding for
preparedness and response, building laboratory capacity, and technical
support for vector control; CDC’s Emergency Response Team
(CERT), a group of public health experts who can be mobilized and
deployed upon confirmed local transmission; and guidance to assist
state, local, and territorial public health officials in preparedness
and response planning.
Frieden also discussed CDC’s draft Zika Response Plan document, a
resource document that outlines Federal and state roles in responding to
a potential case of local Zika transmission in the continental United
States and Hawaii. The draft response plan, created
with input from state and local officials, includes detailed guidance
for states and local jurisdictions on critical areas including but not
limited to: protocol for the initial response to local transmission of
Zika, defining and communicating with the public
about a Zika transmission area for multiple confirmed cases of local
transmission, and technical assistance and expanded capacity for
mosquito surveillance and control. Several governors expressed
appreciation for the call and the urgent need for additional
funding, and asked for further communication as mosquito activity
increases this summer.
Secretary Burwell also committed to working with governors to
maintain support and an ongoing dialogue as federal, state, and local
officials prepare for local transmission of Zika and continue to respond
to travel-associated cases in their jurisdictions.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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