Earlier this year, I got a letter from a South Carolina woman named Ashley, who was expecting her third child.
今年早些時候,我收到一封來自南卡羅來納州阿什利女士的來信,她正期盼第三個孩子降臨。
She was, in her words, "extremely concerned" about the Zika virus,
她說她"非常擔心"寨卡病毒,
and what it might mean for other pregnant women like her.
可能像她那樣的孕婦都憂慮這事兒。
I understand that concern. As a father, Ashley's letter has stuck with me, and it's why we've been so focused on the threat of the Zika virus.
我理解這種擔心。作為父親,阿什利的信刺痛了我,為此我們一直都很關注寨卡病毒的威脅。
So today, I just want to take a few minutes to let you know what we've been doing in response, and to talk about what more we can all do.
今天我想花幾分鐘讓你們知道我們所做的應對預案,并談談我們都能做的更多的事情。
Since late last year, when the most recent outbreak of Zika started popping up in other countries,
自去年年底寨卡病毒最近一次在其他國家開始爆發流行,
federal agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been preparing for it to arrive in the U.S.
聯邦政府的疾病預防和控制中心一直在準備它進入美國后的應對措施。
In February - more than six months ago - I asked Congress for the emergency resources that public health experts say we need to combat Zika.
二月,即六個月前,我向國會申請應急資源,都是公共健康專家列出的防控寨卡病毒的必需品。
That includes things like mosquito control, tracking the spread of the virus, accelerating new diagnostic tests and vaccines,
包括蚊蟲控制、追蹤病毒的傳播、加快新的診斷測試和疫苗研發
and monitoring women and babies with the virus.
以及監控攜帶病毒的婦女和嬰兒等。
Republicans in Congress did not share Ashley's "extreme concern," nor that of other Americans expecting children.
國會中的共和黨議員并不認同阿什利的"非常擔心",也不認同其他想要孩子的美國人的擔憂。
They said no. Instead, we were forced to use resources we need to keep fighting Ebola, cancer, and other diseases.
他們否決了我的申請。無奈,我們被迫挪用防治埃博拉、癌癥和其他疾病所必需的資源。