The U.S. House of Representatives approved on May 18 a $622.1 million bill for Zika funding.
The approved budget is lesser than the $1.9 billion emergency fund that President Barack Obama requested the Congress in February.
The House-approved fund is intended to support Zika outbreak activities until September.
Conflict Between Senate And House
The House approval came just a day after the U.S. Senate approved a $1.1 billion funding for the same purpose.
The White House criticized the Senate-approved fund, saying that the Obama administration needed the requested $1.9 billion fund to decrease the risks of Zika virus, especially in pregnant women. The money is set to be used for the development of vaccines, better diagnostic methods, vector control and more in-depth research.
President Obama exuded signals that he would disapprove the House's bill because it does not provide sufficient support and will spark the need to get money from Ebola response efforts.
Out of the $622.1 million funds proposed by the House, about $230 million would be awarded to the National Institutes of Health, which will particularly work to create vaccines to halt the spread of the virus.
The remaining funds will be given to international health programs via the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development.
"We will now work with the Senate to get needed resources to the president's desk," said House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc.
Zika Virus Update
As of May 18, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported 544 travel-associated ZIka cases across U.S. states. Out of this number, 10 were sexually transmitted and one was diagnosed with rare paralysis disorder Guillain-Barré syndrome, which has been associated with Zika.
Across U.S. territories, four travel-associated cases have been documented and 832 were locally acquired. Guillain-Barré syndrome was noted in five cases.
According to the World Health Organization, the risks of Zika virus spread have not changed. The virus continues to spread in locations where Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are found.
