Obama asks for $1.8 billion in emergency Zika funding

The Obama administration has said it is going to request the US Congress for $1.8bn (GBP1.25bn) in emergency funds to fight the Zika virus.

The money would be divided among the Department of Health and Human Services, the Agency for International Development, and the State Department to support mosquito-control programs, vaccine research, and health services for low-income pregnant women.

She said the response must be “driven by science and not panic, ” focus on the outbreaks epicenter, and prioritize vaccine and treatment developments.“I will be evaluating the presidents supplemental funding request to ensure that it both meets the criteria for emergency spending and provides the resources necessary to stop the spread of this virus, ” Mikulski added.

Health officials expect there to be local spread of the virus in the southern United States, where the Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries the virus can be found. However, health experts do not expect spread within the U.S.to reach the proportions of the outbreaks in many Latin American countries, where conditions are more likely to be hospitable to mosquito-borne transmission.

The Zika virus, transmitted by the same mosquito as dengue fever, has spread with alarming speed throughout South and Central America-and scientists in Brazil suspect that global warming is exacerbating the problem.

“For the average American, this is not something that will change our day-to-day life”, Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters at a White House briefing. “A lot of people get it and don’t even know that they have it”, Obama said.

In a fact sheet released shortly after the interview, the White House said it has been “aggressively working” for several months “to combat Zika”.

The White House called on Congress to swiftly approve the emergency funding request. She said Florida’s tropical climate is a prime location for the mosquito species that spreads Zika. The administration is seeking the Zika money separately from the regular budget for the next fiscal year, which Obama will submit to Congress on Tuesday. Epidemiologists are already facing an early challenge – only one in five Zika-infected individuals develops symptoms, and only a small percentage of the population seeks medical attention for its often mild symptoms.

The federal government has been monitoring the Zika virus and working with domestic and worldwide health partners to alert healthcare providers and the public about the virus.

While Zika isn’t actively transmitting in the US, travelers have brought the virus back with them and there has been a documented case of sexual transmission in Texas.

The World Health Organization declared an emergency on the instances prompting support and research to be fast-tracked.

“When you’re in an emergency situation, I think you can move much more quickly than that and get an accelerated approval”, Fauci said. Currently, 22 cases have been seen in the US territory.

A vaccine against Zika may take some time, the officials said.

At the White House, Fauci said athletes would need to make a personal decision about whether or not to skip the Olympics.