President Obama asks for $1.8 billion to fight Zika

HOUSTON – President Obama is asking for money to help combat Zika.

The administration is asking for $1.8 billion, which includes: 

$200 million for research, and rapid advanced development of new vaccines for Zika.

That's possibly the boost Houston doctors need.

UTMB in Galveston said they are on the forefront of ways to control Zika and have been working with Latin American scientists to produce a vaccine, even long before it made headlines.

Baylor College of Medicine also said it could begin working on its own vaccine soon.

Of the proposed congressional money, $828 million would also go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for things like enhanced mosquito control programs, and expanding the pregnancy risk assessment monitoring system to detect risks related to Zika.

Harris county health and environmental control told me there's a lot we do not yet know about Zika and its relationship to the people who get sick.

“We don't know for sure if it will get into the magnification or problem that it is in South America,” said Mustapha Debboun, director of mosquito control, Harris County.

The White House says we need to aggressively investigate these outbreaks, and stop the spread of the virus.

With less than six months before a mass of people travel to one of the hot spots, British and Japanese Olympic officials said that athletes' participation in the Rio Olympics won't be affected by increasing Zika concerns.

“Yes, the current issue is one that all national Olympic committees will be dealing with, and we're speaking and working very, very closely with the organizing committee and other agencies in Rio,” said Lord Sebastian, British Olympics association chairman.

Some say there's an expected surge in bug repellant. However, there's a debate between national health officials and obstetricians about whether or not pregnant women should use DEET.