The Atlantic: The American Zika Outbreak
“…As Congress dithers over funding for Zika prevention on the mainland, the island commonwealth of Puerto Rico is at a stage well beyond the reach of a preemptive strike. … Whether or not lawmakers consider it a bailout, the clearest solution in Puerto Rico is a significant injection of federal funds and a bolstering of women’s health services on the island. … Yet even if [$1.1 billion in Zika spending] is passed without restrictions on Planned Parenthood, that funding still may not be enough for prevention on an island with clearly favorable year-round conditions for Zika, with a beleaguered health infrastructure, and with a health insurance program that has been chronically underfunded. If the emergency bill is the end and not the start of public health debate over Zika funding, Congress’s scramble to protect the mainland could very well come at the cost of Puerto Rico…” (Newkirk, 9/13).