Obama, $1,8B Zika Request

AP

Obama to seek $1.8bn from Congress to combat Zika virus - The Obama administration said on Monday it plans to ask Congress for $1.8bn to respond to the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

Officials have not documented the transmission of Zika from mosquitoes within the US, but the World Health Organization has warned that the virus is expected in every country in the Americas except for Canada and Chile.

The White House said the money would be used domestically and internationally to respond to outbreaks, to research vaccines and to prevent the spread of the disease.

In an interview aired on Monday on CBS This Morning, Barack Obama said: “There shouldn’t be a panic on this.”

“What we now know is that there appears to be some significant risk for pregnant women and women who are thinking about having a baby,” the president said.

The virus has been linked to microcephaly, a condition associated with incomplete brain development, but scientists have not confirmed the link.

The disease has been detected in US territories, including Puerto Rico. And at least 50 Americans have returned to the US having contracted the virus in other countries.

The administration said in a statement that it would file the fund request to Congress “shortly”.

The money would be directed to the Department of Health and Human Services, the State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAid).

“As spring and summer approach, bringing with them larger and more active mosquito populations, we must be fully prepared to mitigate and quickly address local transmission within the continental US, particularly in the southern United States,” the White House said.

The White House said $1.48bn would go to the Department of Health. Those funds would include $828m to the agency for response teams, research efforts and prevention strategies.

It would also include $250m for the Medicaid program in Puerto Rico, to build on existing work, with $200m for the development and commercialization of a vaccine and $210m for a fund specific to any other needs related to Zika.

Another $335m would go to USAid’s efforts to support countries where the virus emerges. This item would also give the agency flexibility in how it spends its remaining funds meant to combat Ebola.

The final $41m would go to the State Department to help its employees and US citizens in affected countries. The money would also be distributed to WHO, its regional affiliate, the Pan American Health Organization, and Unicef.