President calls for calm as White House says money will be used in US and abroad to respond to outbreaks, research vaccines and fight disease’s spread

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

The Obama administration plans to ask Congress for $1.8bn to respond to the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

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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.”

He and other federal officials emphasized that the government’s response is focused on pregnant women or women who are hoping to get pregnant.

“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.

“For the average American, this is not something that will change your daily life,” said Dr Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at a White House press briefing on Monday afternoon.

The US has recommended that women who are pregnant or hope to become so avoid travel to affected areas, which Schuchat said was an “unusual step”.

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 White House press secretary, Josh Earnest, said he hoped Congress would quickly approve the funding request.

“This sort of falls into the category of things that shouldn’t break down into party hands,” Earnest said.

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.

“As an infection, it isn’t serious,” said Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “The issue we’re focusing on is the issues with pregnant women.”

Fauci said health agencies were taking the first steps to develop a vaccine, but it was unlikely one would be made widely available “for a few years”.