Congressional Briefing
"Zika: Historic Parallels and Policy Responses"
On September 12, 2016, the National History Center of the American Historical Association held a Congressional briefing on the Zika Virus: Historic Parallels, and Policy Responses. J.R. McNeill of Georgetown University and Margaret Humphreys of Duke University discussed the history of Zika’s mosquito vectors, and the complexity of planning public health programs to counter disease-bearing mosquitoes.
The briefings were held in the Rayburn House Office Building for the legislative House staffers and the public, and in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, for Senate staffers.
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On September 28, 2016, after 8 months of legislative deadlock, Congress passed a budget bill that included a package to fund the response to the Zika crisis. The bill provides $1.1 billion to use in continuing work on a vaccine against Zika virus infection, as well as studies of the effects on unborn babies, adults and children. It will also help states control the mosquitoes that spread the virus.
