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Oct 27, 2016

The complexities of funding the fight against the Zika virus

Congress took eight months to approve allocating $1.1 billion to help fight the outbreak.

by Andy Uhler
Nelson Tejeda, a Miami-Dade County mosquito control inspector, inspects an area in an attempt to find and kill mosquitos that are carrying the Zika virus in Miami, Florida.   
Nelson Tejeda, a Miami-Dade County mosquito control inspector, inspects an area in an attempt to find and kill mosquitos that are carrying the Zika virus in Miami, Florida.   
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The Zika virus spread through Brazil and other parts of South America, now it’s in Puerto Rico and Florida.

Congress took eight months to approve allocating $1.1 billion to help fight the outbreak. The head of the Centers for Disease Control asked for a pot of money to fight health emergencies just as FEMA has for natural disasters and terrorist attacks. But the situation is more complex than it seems.

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