Two Texas State Senators led by Lt. Governor Dan Patrick sent a letter Tuesday to President Barack Obama and the Texas Congressional delegation urging for coordination at the local, state and federal level to combat the Zika virus in Texas.
Patrick, along with the Senate Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, Charles Schwertner, and the Senate Chair of the Finance Committee, Jane Nelson are leading the charge in a proactive fight against Zika in Texas.
The state is doing its part in the Zika campaign, Patrick said, but Texas needs more resources to fight the virus.
"Texas is taking the necessary steps to combat this potentially devastating public health threat but we also need federal funds sooner rather than later, before it's too late. I am calling upon the federal government to break the gridlock and act quickly to address this growing public health issue," Lt. Governor Patrick said in a statement Tuesday.
The recent onslaught of floods, paired with Texas's geography, puts the state at a particularly high risk for the transmission of the Zika virus as it moves into Mosquito season.
