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Senator Nelson Renews Call For Congress To Act On Obama's Zika Funding Request

Bill Nelson's youtube channel

With Florida surpassing 100 Zika cases, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson is renewing his call for Congress to approve President Barack Obama’s 1.9 billion dollar funding request to combat the mosquito-borne disease.

On the floor Monday, Nelson told his fellow Senators that about a week and a half ago, there were about 1,000 cases reported in the U.S.

“There were approximately a thousand cases reported in the U.S., and that included 570 in Puerto Rico, and 94 in Florida,” he said.

Now, he says the virus is spreading even more quickly.

“Just a little over a week later, it's already up to 1,133 cases across the country,” he added. “It's up to 629 in Puerto Rico.”

With two new cases reported in Miami-Dade Wednesday, Florida now has 109 cases. And, Nelson says Congress shouldn’t wait until there are any more deaths to take this seriously. The first U.S. Zika-related death occurred in Puerto Rico late last month.

Nelson says it's also disappointing that while he has 35 cosponsors on his bill addressing Obama's funding request, no Republican senators have signed onto his bill that he says isn't a partisan issue.

For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter: @SaschaCordner.

Sascha Cordner has more than ten years of public radio experience. It includes working at NPR member station WUFT-FM in Gainesville for several years. She's worked in both radio and TV, serving in various capacities as a reporter, producer and anchor. She's also a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications. She is the recipient of 15 awards from the Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and Edward R. Murrow. Her award-winning stories include her coverage on the infamous “Dozier School for Boys” and a feature titled "Male Breast Cancer: Lost in the Sea of Pink." Currently, Sascha serves as the host and producer of local and state news content for the afternoon news program "All Things Considered" at WFSU. Sascha primarily covers criminal justice and social services issues. When she's not reporting, Sascha likes catching up on her favorite TV shows, singing and reading. Follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter:@SaschaCordner.