Call For Federal Aid

The following letter was sent to President Clinton this week by U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and Queens Congressman Joseph Crowley.
Dear Mr. President:
We are writing to urge you to sign an executive order that would distribute funds to the City of New York to contain the recent outbreak of mosquito-borne encephalitis, which has already claimed the lives of three elderly people. This epidemic has spread through two of the City’s boroughs and may be spreading throughout the entire City and suburban Long Island.
The Centers for Disease control and Prevention (CDC) has already sent six epidemiologists, with two more arriving this weekend, to New York to work with the City Health Dept., but more assistance is desperately needed. It is estimated that containing this outbreak, will cost over $6 million, including chemicals, contractors for spraying, individual cans of bug spray, and additional staff.
With no end to the humid weather in sight, we need to prepare for the potential spread of this epidemic. All efforts must be exhausted to prevent this form further infection. The number of suspected cases has increased to 60. Nine additional cases have been nailed down as St. Louis Encephalitis, a rare but potentially lethal illness that can cause inflammation of the brain.
In order to ensure the end to this epidemic, the CDC states that the City must continue spraying for the next three to four weeks throughout the entire City. The effort to control this situation is underway, but is very costly. We urge you to release any and all resources available to the federal government to aid in this effort.
Thank you for your consideration of this vital request. We look forward to your response. If you have any questions please contact us directly.
Charles E. Schumer, United States Senator