WASHINGTON/LONDON, Feb 8 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will ask the U.S. Congress for more than $1.8 billion in emergency funds to fight Zika at home and overseas and pursue a vaccine, the White House said on Monday, but he added there is no reason to panic over the mosquito-borne virus. A total of 26 countries and territories have been affected, according to the Pan American Health Organization.
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“What we now know is that there appears to be some significant risk for pregnant women and women who are thinking of having a baby”, Obama said in an interview Monday on “CBS This Morning”.
The money would help affected countries in South America, Central America and the Caribbean provide training to health care workers, stimulate private sector research and help pregnant women gain access to repellant to protect against mosquitoes.
And while experts don’t expect large outbreaks in the continental US, the emergency funding also would help them prepare for any local transmission as spring and summer approach.
Obama’s request to Congress came as the White House was trying to strike a balance between being responsive to the outbreak and not provoking alarm.
The virus has led to a spike in microcephaly, babies born with abnormally small heads, in affected regions. Fauci noted that those mosquitoes spread dengue and chikungunya, cousins of Zika, and there has been some local transmission of those viruses in recent years.
The money would go toward expanding programs that control the spread of mosquitoes, as well as toward expanding research into vaccines and new public education programs, particularly for pregnant women.
In an e-mail press release, the agency said the EOC has been activated since Jan 22 to coordinate the U.S. response in areas including lab test development, studies on possible links to microcephaly and GBS, surveillance for the virus in the United States and Puerto Rico, and on-the-ground support for Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Colombia. She said Florida’s tropical climate is a prime location for the mosquito species that spreads Zika.
Zika is transmitted by mosquitoes and is tied to birth abnormalities in newborns. He said the funding should also be targeted in low-income areas along the Gulf of Mexico, which tend to be hit hardest by mosquito-borne diseases, partly because residents may not be able to afford air conditioning or even window screens.
“Congressional action on the Administration’s request will accelerate our ability to prevent, detect and respond to the Zika virus and bolster our ability to reduce the potential for future infectious disease outbreaks”.
Zika was an issue in a debate on Saturday between Republican candidates for the November 8 US presidential election, with two contenders saying they would quarantine travelers if needed to stop the spread of the virus. As of February 3, 11 states, Texas included, Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. have reported cases of people sick from the Zika virus.
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Congress will be briefed and review the funding request this week.
