Patrick Murphy: Obama Should Appoint a Zika Czar

U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla., currently running for the U.S. Senate, backed U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson’s, D-Fla., idea for the Obama administration to appoint a czar to lead efforts against the Zika virus. 

"With the World Health Organization declaring Zika an international health emergency and cases already being reported in Florida, action must be taken to combat the spread of this virus — both in our nation and in Central and South America,” Murphy said on Friday. “This requires a well-coordinated prevention and response strategy across all federal agencies, with teams in place to react quickly as the situation changes. The administration should immediately appoint a Zika czar to direct the multi-agency effort, a good idea first proposed by Sen. Bill Nelson. The federal government must also provide emergency funding to monitor the ongoing crisis and increase research and investment for Zika prevention and treatment.

"Florida is a center of Latin American commerce and an international tourist destination, and strong action nationally and locally to combat Zika will be especially important here,” Murphy added. “I am looking forward to being briefed further by administration officials on their efforts to combat the threats to public health posed by the spread of this virus, and I will be working closely with local governments in Florida to make sure they have the resources needed to respond strongly."