HARTFORD – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement after the Connecticut Department of Public Health confirmed the first travel-associated case of Zika in Connecticut. 

“Zika is a scary disease that requires a serious, science-based response. I’m saddened to hear a Connecticut resident who traveled to a Zika-affected area contracted the disease, and wish the patient a speedy recovery,” said Murphy. “I am leading the Senate effort to fully fund the President’s emergency Zika budget request because people in Connecticut want their government officials to be in front of this public health scare. Yesterday, the Senate passed a new measure to incentivize drug companies to combat Zika, but without emergency funding we simply cannot effectively combat this potential epidemic."

“If people in Connecticut have plans to travel, they should check the Centers for Disease Control website for information on Zika, who is most at risk, and ways to protect themselves. News of the first case in Connecticut is cause for concern, but not a reason to panic. If you have questions about ways to protect yourself and your family, please visit the CDC or Connecticut Department of Public Health websites or call my Hartford office at 860-549-8463,” Murphy added.

Murphy has supported numerous initiatives to combat the outbreak of Zika in Connecticut and across the United States. Yesterday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill cosponsored by Murphy, called the Adding Zika Virus to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program Act, that will add Zika as an eligible disease to receive a priority review voucher from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and incentivize the development of new Zika vaccines. Murphy will also continue to call for $1.9 billion of emergency funding to address the outbreak. Thirty-seven states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. territories have reported travel-related cases of Zika. There have been no locally acquired reported cases in the United States.

For further information regarding the Zika virus, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.