Obama Administration Should Raise Travel Alert To Prevent Spread Of Zika Virus To U.S.

Washington Times: Stopping the spread of Zika
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

“…[N]either the CDC nor the WHO go far enough to protect the health of travelers throughout the world. While CDC alerts include special precautions for pregnant women, the warnings for men and women hardly seem sufficient when compared to the potential consequences. Instead of demanding that Congress provide more funds for activities that may or may not be effective in stopping the virus, the administration should start with one simple step that would be guaranteed to slow the spread of Zika to the United States: raise the travel alert to Level 3 for Brazil, Colombia, and other countries with high levels of Zika infections. … Our citizens, men and women, pregnant or otherwise, need their government to provide accurate information about the potential risks of traveling to countries where the Zika virus is spreading. The Obama administration has no excuse not to raise the travel warnings to Level 3 for Brazil and Colombia and probably other countries” (6/15).

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