White House: $589M to go to fight Zika virus

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal money left over from the largely successful fight against Ebola will now go to combating the growing threat of the Zika virus, the Obama administration announced today.

Most of the $589 million would be devoted 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 and the U.S. Agency for International Development would intensify efforts to fight the virus overseas.

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.

President Barack Obama has asked for about $1.9 billion in emergency money to fight Zika but the request has stalled in the GOP-controlled Congress. Shaun Donovan, White House budget chief, Shaun Donovan and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell said on a conference call with reporters that the administration still needs the full request to fight both Zika and maintain vigilance on Ebola.