[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12022]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     ZIKA IS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS

  (Mr. BERA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. BERA. Mr. Speaker, we have got a public health crisis on our 
hands. We have to get funding to address the Zika crisis. We now have 
over 16,000 identified cases. It is a terrible virus, and we have to 
get ahead of this.
  As a doctor and public health expert, I understand the importance of 
giving our physicians, our healthcare professionals, and our scientists 
all the tools that they need. The NIH is doing magnificent work getting 
a vaccine up and running and into clinical trials, but we have to give 
them the resources; we have to get ahead of this.
  We also have to make sure all the patients have access to 
reproductive healthcare choices, like Planned Parenthood and other 
assets, so they can prevent the terrible effects of this virus on their 
fetuses and their babies.
  So it is incredibly important, let's get that funding out there. 
Let's stop playing politics with this, and let's get the help to the 
places that need it. It is a public health emergency. Let's do our job.

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