Sen. Coons on Zika funding: “I think this is an enormous missed opportunity”

The U.S. Senate voted to begin talks with the House over differing funding measures to fight the Zika virus Wednesday.

Earlier this year, the Obama administration requested 1.9 billion dollars in emergency funding. It would be used for vaccine development and mosquito control, for example.

Senator Chris Coons tells 47ABC the senate has appropriated 1.1 billion dollars; however, he claims the House is “dragging its feet” and has only appropriated 600 million.

Senator Coons says he’s met with CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden who says the sooner congress acts, the better.

“If we don’t resolve this in the next weeks before the senate and house go out on our summer recess, we may not have this funding available to improve public health, to protect the American people until the fall. I think this is an enormous missed opportunity,” explained Senator Coons.

Zika is spread by mosquitoes and can cause severe birth defects.

Researchers made the direct link to the mosquito-borne virus to a birth defect in babies called microcephaly, a condition where infants are born with much smaller than average heads.

The CDC recommends they should not travel to areas affected by Zika, which includes Brazil.