White House: $589 Million To Go To Fight Zika Virus
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The Obama administration says it will transfer leftover money from the largely successful fight against Ebola to combat the growing threat of the Zika virus.
Much of the $589 million would go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for research on the virus and Zika-related birth defects, as well as the creation of response teams to limit its spread.
The National Institutes of Health would continue research into a vaccine, while the U.S. Agency for International Development would intensify efforts to fight the virus overseas.
MORE: 10 Facts About Zika Virus | More From The CDC
Last week, the CDC posted new maps of the estimated range of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, and a related cousin, on its website. Instead of just being in the southern part of the country, the maps now show the two mosquitoes reaching as far as New York City and San Francisco.
Researchers fear Zika causes microcephaly, a serious birth defect in which a baby's head is too small, as well as posing other threats to the children of pregnant women infected with it.
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