Some of you I'll see Tuesday, others on Wednesday.
If you have not already submitted your summer work on googledocs, please do so before class.
A few people have told me that they did theirs in hand writing. If that's the case, bring it on the first day, and please make sure that it is in MLA format to get something approaching full credit.
On the first day, I'm switching this class's online presence to googleclassroom.
The code to get into the class is
z2nc9h8
What Zika means
As Congress continues to debate the merits of prevention criteria and costs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this past week that there are now 14 confirmed cases of U.S.-based Zika infections in Florida, with the likelihood that many more will follow.
Although any outbreak in this country will likely be far smaller in scope than anything experienced in either Puerto Rico or Brazil, the fact that the House continued to fiddle while the virus walked over our threshold provides an alarming harbinger of what could happen when the next virus arrives.
Zika is a virus carried by mosquitoes and is transmitted through a bite by an infected insect or through sex with an infected person. Although most people who contract it remain asymptomatic, some of those who are infected can develop joint pain, a rash, fever, headaches, and other symptoms. Although scientists are still exploring the myriad results of infection, the primary concern is that a pregnant woman infected with the virus can pass it along to her unborn child, potentially causing a range of severe brain defects, including microcephaly. In this case, the child is born with severe brain damage.
Earlier this past week, the CDC issued a warning for parts of Miami, cautioning would-be travelers that if they are pregnant or are expecting to become pregnant, they may want to avoid spending time in this particular region of southern Florida.
Some may note that there are only 14 people who have so far been reported as infected, and of these none has reported any symptoms. Those same people may note that this is a statistically small number when compared with the approximately 1,650 U.S. residents who have already been infected during travel outside the United States, or after having sex with someone who was already infected.
Both of these facts are true, as is the reality that CDC officials have said that the likelihood of a Zika epidemic, such as those currently afflicting both Brazil and Puerto Rico, are highly unlikely, given that the United States generally features better sanitation and mosquito control, as well as more screened houses, than either of those two countries.
But the larger and more important truth is that Zika's arrival is anything but a surprise. In fact, health officials have been predicting for some time that it would make landfall in the United States this summer, with all signs pointing to outbreaks in Florida, Texas or both. Despite this, Florida is only now racing to deal with the problem, earmarking $25 million for prevention efforts, with the CDC kicking in another $10 million.
Meanwhile, a bill calling for $1.1 billion in federal funds remains mired in the swamp of congressional ineptitude. Senate Democrats blocked the legislation after Republicans attached a number of unrelated and politically objectionable amendments to the measure. As a result, at the end of last month, Washington politicians packed their bags for a seven-week summer vacation without having acted on the measure, meaning that any significant federal funding will have to wait until long after the prime mosquito breeding month of August has come and gone.
Such political wrangling while the nation sits on the verge of a potential health crisis is inexcusable. The CDC has estimated that the personal and financial cost of any Zika outbreak, even a small one, could be astronomical; a child born with microcephaly could experience a short life, suffering from extreme brain damage. A child with this condition could generate between $1 million and $10 million in medical bills during the course of his or her life.
Even more frightening is the idea that if another, potentially more virulent virus were to threaten the United States, the interminably slow wheels of politics may turn with such lethargy that thousands or perhaps even millions could be suffering before Congress took action.
In a time when formerly obscure and localized diseases can now move with the speed of international travel, it is crucial that the CDC be provided with the funding and latitude to make health-related decisions without waiting for Congress to decide on the most politically palatable course of action. After all, good sanitation and screens might not be enough next time.
