Senator Steven Oroho (R-24) has sent letters to every member of New Jersey’s congressional delegation urging their efforts to help advance a full federal funding solution to combat the Zika virus.

Sen. Steven Oroho urged New Jersey’s congressional delegation to help advance a full federal funding solution to combat the Zika virus. (CDC/James Gathany)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has determined that Zika virus infection during pregnancy is a cause of microcephaly and other severe birth defects in infants, and is responsible for miscarriages and still births.

“The Zika virus poses a serious threat to women who are pregnant and their unborn children,” said Oroho. “It’s imperative that Congress put aside politics and approve the funding that national health experts say is needed to prevent the Zika virus from becoming a national public health crisis. With the impact of Zika already being felt here in New Jersey, I urge our state’s congressional delegation to take the lead in this effort.”

Oroho fought to include $500,000 through the state budget process for Zika-related mosquito control efforts across New Jersey. While that appropriation was not included in the final budget that was signed into law in June, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection announced that an identical amount would be allocated for grants to fund mosquito control efforts statewide.

The CDC announced on Friday that $60 million of federal funding would be made available nationwide to help protect from the virus. Congressional approval has been sought for a larger appropriation that health experts believe is necessary to prevent the virus from spreading.

In his letter to the congressional delegation, Oroho noted that New Jersey has already experienced its first baby born with Zika-related microcephaly, and that millions of women across the country are at risk of experiencing pregnancies impacted by the virus should it continue to advance.

“This is a national problem that requires a national response,” Oroho said in the letter.

Click here to view a PDF of the letters sent by Senator Oroho to the members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation.